Fire and Ice
by eloquentgraffiti
Summary: Rose Weasley and Scorpius Malfoy seem destined to be enemies, just like their parents. At least, that's what's happening until their Potions professor decides to give fate a hand at getting the two of them together.
1. Hogsmeade

Fire and Ice

Chapter One: Hogsmeade

"Come on, Red, or we'll be late to our lunch with the boys," my best friend Gloria called to me. I could see her clearly from where she stood, directly across from me half-heartedly rummaging through her trunk for something. Statuesque and beautiful, Gloria Knipping is the type of girl who can draw any guy's attention.

Me, on the other hand? I'm more the tall and awkward type. Bookish, smart…not at all what boys like, which I suppose is why Gloria took me under her wing in the first place. I'm no competition for her, because most boys don't even look my way.

I lazily sat up in bed and reached up to pat my curly red hair. I knew it was likely standing on end after the rough night I had had. Gloria grinned wryly at me, and I rolled my eyes and stumbled out of bed.

"Atta girl, Red. Now, after you've showered…I think you should borrow those jeans my mum bought me while we were in America over the summer hols. And please, please, please try something different with your hair. Freddie says he hates he ponytail you do for school everyday. Time to spice things up a bit," she demanded. I rolled my eyes again.

Freddie Waters, Ravenclaw's resident dork. Don't get me wrong, he's cute in his own way I suppose. It's just…I hate that Gloria can't see how little I want to pursue a relationship with him. After all, it's only fifth year, and I hardly need to settle down with _anyone_, especially Freddie. We've been friends since our first year at Hogwarts, from the moment we were both sorted into Ravenclaw.

I hurried through my shower, not wanting a lecture from Gloria about promptness and the like. I washed my hair and applied a de-frizzing charm to keep it under control while I dressed. Once I had my undies on, I donned my bathrobe and scurried back to the dormitory to put on Gloria's jeans and a sweater my gran knit me for Christmas last.

"Okay, Red, don't forget about the hair…perhaps you can leave it down today? Come on, tease Freddie a bit with it, eh?" she asked. I sighed.

"Can you shut up about Freddie, Gloria? I don't like him that, okay? So stuff it before I say something to James about your bleeding HUGE crush on him," I snapped, at my wits' end. Gloria flinched at the flare in my temper. I could tell she wanted to retort, but I could feel my face heating up in annoyance-which meant Gloria could _see_ me turning red. "_Thank_ you, love. Now, can we please just go? I told Al we'd meet him at The Three Broomsticks before we venture off to Madame Puddifoot's for lunch."

"Fine, fine. Let's go," Gloria agreed, somewhat haughtily. I felt slight bad for snapping at her, but by the time we had reached Hogsmeade, we were chattering away as though nothing in the world had happened to upset us. "It's rather chilly out today. Can you believe it's nearly time for the Halloween feast? And then another few months and I'll be shopping for my parents' Christmas gifts…"

"Did you hear that Victoire and Teddy are expecting? My mum wrote to me a few days ago about it," I told Gloria, but she wasn't listening to me anymore. She had spotted James up ahead, walking hand in hand with Clarabel Pearce, a Gryffindor from our year at school. "Glo? Don't think anything of it. It's probably just a friend thing. _Hardly_ a relationship; I mean, James is done with school this year and Clarabel…well, she's something of a ditz isn't she?" But Gloria still wasn't listening to me.

"It's _hardly_ just a friend thing, Red. It just goes to show how little you know about relationships," she muttered, looking down at her feet for a moment. "But forget it; Albus is waiting, and he's _much_ cuter than James anyway. Nicer, too, and much better at Quidditch. I think I'll kiss him today before lunch."

"B-but what about Gavin Pakinson-Avery? I thought you said you were going to go after _him_," I reminded Gloria, but she laughed bitterly. I didn't know what she saw in Gavin, personally. He'd always been rather mean to me, probably because he followed the example of Scorpius Mafloy, who was always cruel to me. It was them we were meeting at Madame Puddifoot's, after we stopped by to see Albus and Freddie.

"Gavin's hideous. An ugly oaf, sort of pug-faced like his mum…we'll have lunch with him and his little friends, but I'm still going to go after Albus. Perhaps a bit of Gryffindor-Slytherin competition will liven things up around Hogwarts," she said, opening the door to The Three Broomsticks. I saw Albus seated at a table with Freddie and a few other boys from our year.

"Oi, Rosie!! Over here, cuz!" Albus shouted out, raising his butterbeer in greeting. I smiled and bounded over to his table, with Gloria at my heels. She slid into the seat beside him, and I plopped down next to Freddie, who looked pleased with himself.

"Hullo, Rose," he said quietly. I smiled slightly. "You look very lovely today. I like you hair down like that. It makes you look…different. In a good way, of course."

"Er, thanks Freddie," I muttered, watching as Gloria flirted shamelessly with Albus while the other boys watched him enviously. Gloria's the prettiest girl in our year, and every boy wants to date her. "Um….Gloria? Are you forgetting that we have another engagement?" Gloria waved me off in something akin to annoyance.

"Oh, you go on without me. Just tell them I had something more important to do. You _know_ who I mean, don't you?" Gloria asked in an attempt at being cryptic. I rolled my eyes at her, pissed that she was going to shove me off on a group of three Slytherin guys just because she was getting cozy with Albus, leading my poor cousin on, and for all the wrong reasons...

So I trekked over to Madame Puddifoot's on my own, silently berating Gloria and her sudden whorishness, wishing she would end up in the very corners of hell for messing with Albus's head. I was so angry, in fact, that I stopped paying attention to where I was going. I was walking quickly to cool my temper, and it didn't help when I crashed head-on into someone.

"Merlin's balls, Weasley!! Watch where you're going!!" Scorpius Malfoy shouted at me.

"Don't raise your voice at _me_, Malfoy. I'm not just some trash on the side of the road," I said, trying to stay calm but failing dismally. Malfoy was glaring at me as if I was actually a bit of garbage, as though he was disgusted with the very idea of my being.

"Oh, sorry Weasley. I forget sometimes that your family actually thinks they're worth something," he sneered at me. I could feel the tips of my ears tingling as he spat on the ground next to me. "Or maybe it's just you…after all, your brother Hugo certainly seems to know his place. Always addresses me as Mr. Malfoy, doesn't he? Maybe it's about time I showed you belong, too." And now, I could feel my face starting to burn.

"Malfoy…" I trailed off, warning him with the tone of my voice. But he kept on.

"Yep. You Weasleys are a bunch of pureblood trash…except, you aren't even pureblood, really. Your mum's a mudblood, isn't she…? So I guess that makes you a mudblood too, and a dirty one at that," Malfoy went on. I reached into my back pocket for my wand. "I see that you're going to hurt me, eh, fire princess? Isn't that what your daddy calls you? Well, I wish someone would tell him he's wrong. You see, Mudbloods can't be princesses because they're _trash_. _Worthless_ trash, oh fiery one."

And so, I lifted my wand and thought fiercely in my head '_Levicorpus_!' and Malfoy flew up into the air, screaming in surprise. Several passersby stopped to look on.

"Apologize, Malfoy, or things will only go worse for you," I demanded angrily, prepared to go on.

"Never! And trust me, Weasley…if my wand hadn't fallen out of my pocket just now, you'd be regretting this big time!" Malfoy yelled. And then his eyes widened in surprise and he started yelling. "Professor! Professor! Help me, help me!! Rose Weasley's gone berserk on me and won't let me loose! Professor!!"

It was a bloody nightmare, what happened next, because of course it had to be the Potions professor-and head of Slytherin house-that came to the rescue. He used Liberacorpus to release Malfoy, who tumbled to the ground with a very audible "oof!" and then turned to me.

"Miss Weasley," snarled Professor Locke, looking quite angry. "Detention Friday evening at 8 p.m. in the dungeons." I opened my mouth to protest, but Locke held up a hand to silence me. Malfoy had gotten up by now and was brushing off his expensive robes. "And as for you, Scorpius…detention as well. I know that Miss Weasley would not attack you if she had not been provoked. As much as it shames me to punish someone from my own house, it must be done out of fairness to Miss Weasley. Furthermore, there will be no more Hogsmeade trips for the both of you for the duration of the school year. Instead, the two of you will spend this time in the Potions classroom. What you do there is of no concern to me, but I will know if you have been fighting. Good day to you both."

Locke hurriedly walked away. As I considered detention, I could feel tears stinging my eyes. Malfoy seemed pretty put out by Locke's decision as well. And no more weekend trips to Hogsmeade! My attempts at having a social life would be stilted for an entire year!

"Nice work, Weasley," Mafloy hissed as he stalked off to God knows where. I followed suit, walking back to the castle to sulk alone in my room while everyone else in my year enjoyed the last of the autumn's good weather.


	2. Detention

Fire and Ice

Chapter Two: Detention

The days leading up to my detention dragged by slowly, fraying my nerves to the point where I was ready to snap. With everything from Gloria asking me constantly how to get rid of the love bite James had left on her neck, to my brother Hugo practically stalking my cousin Lily in order to ensure that she stayed single for the rest of her life, it's a wonder I didn't crack up a bit sooner. But no. I had to go berserk during detention.

Friday evening around 7:45, I began my trek down to the dungeons, not wanting to be late. I walked quickly, wringing my sweaty hands nervously. I had no idea what to expect from Professor Locke at this detention, considering that he has sporadic mood swings. When I mentioned my detention to Gloria, she told me that I should be prepared to go through hell if he'd had a bad day. And when I entered the Potions classroom, Professor Locke looked quite furious. He was eyeing Scorpius Malfoy with contempt, and I couldn't even begin to imagine why. After all, Malfoy is _everyone_'s favorite student.

"Ah, Miss Weasley. You've finally decided to make an appearance. Did I not tell you that your detention began at seven thirty?" Locke asked angrily, swiveling around to face me. "You and Mr. Malfoy both seem to be under the impression that I assigned you detention at eight this evening, yet my little black book says otherwise."

"But sir…you _did_ say eight o'clock. Otherwise, I'm _sure_ that Malfoy and I would have been here on time; after all, we would never want to anger you, sir," I said, trying my hardest to seem sweet and nice. I was scared to death that he would punish us anyway.

"Well, ten points from Ravenclaw for your tardiness, Weasley. And as for your task this evening…you will be restocking the potions stores. Those three containers over there have everything you need to complete the task. One of you will need to keep track using this parchment here…" Locke procured the parchment and handed it to me. "Mr. Malfoy will handle the restocking. You have until midnight to complete your detention. If you are not finished, I will see the two of you Saturday evening as well."

"Get to work, Weasel. I'm not doing this," Malfoy snarled at me, sitting down on one of the tables in the classroom and crossing his arms.

"Are you kidding, Malfoy?" I asked, going over to the containers to look inside. All of the items inside had been shrunk down, so that from the outside it looked like there were only a few ingredients, when there were really tons of them. "Do you know how much stuff is in here? There is no way I'm doing this by myself! And even if I _did_ try doing this alone, we'd both have to come back tomorrow anyway, because there's no way I can finish all of this!!!"

"I really don't care, to be honest with you Weasley. You got us into this mess and now it's time for you to pay the price," Malfoy replied. "So get to work, your royal weasel face. We don't have all the time in the world."

"I am _not_ doing this all by myself! You're going to help me, or you'll feel the consequences, Malfoy. I have a wand and I am not afraid to use it on you!" I yelled, pulling out my wand and waving it at him.

"Oh, save it for someone who's afraid of you. I have a wand too, and I'm not afraid to use it either. Nice try, though," Malfoy replied calmly, pulling out his own wand and waving it around. "Now, get to work before I have to _make_ you. I don't want to use an Unforgivable on you, Weasley, but I can and I will." I raised my eyebrows at Malfoy. As if. There was no way he could do something like that without getting caught.

"You know what, Malfoy? Go ahead and do it. If you're so brave and fearless, I'd like to see you curse me," I challenged him. So when he screamed '_Imperio_!' I was ready for him, casting a Shield spell to block his attack. "Try again if you must. After all, I remember you saying that you can use an Unforgivable Curse on me. I'd really like to see it happen. Go on, curse me." Malfoy's lips twitched.

"Are you stupid, Weasley? I'm not going to try and curse some defenseless Mudblood. And you'd better cool the temper, too. Your face is nearly as red as your hair," Malfoy told me, grinning. "Come on Red Rosie, fire princess, get me. The moment you try and jinx me, Locke will be in here to give you more detention and I will be free to do as I please. So jinx me already; I have better things to do tonight."

"I'm _not_ stupid, Malfoy. There's no way I'm getting you off the hook. Why don't we just work together to get this done so that we can leave?" I pleaded with him, at my wits' end. I wasn't tired of fighting, but I did want to get the restocking done with so I wouldn't have to return tomorrow evening. Malfoy seemed not care. "Please?"

"What's in it for me if I decide to work alongside you, Weasel?" he asked, hopping down from the desk and walking over to where I was standing. "Call off your idiot brother so I can put the moves on little Lily, and we're even. Deal?"

"I thought Hugo was already under your control," I pointed out, with a mocking smile. Malfoy's eyebrows furrowed, possibly in annoyance. I was right, of course. He was the one who claimed Hugo 'knew his place', after all. "Besides, Lily would never like you. She calls you the Ice Prince, because no-one can crack your exterior, and I think she's quite right. After all, you never let anything get to you."

"What do you know about me, Weasley? Nothing. So don't try and analyze the…_exterior_, as you say," Malfoy snapped. "I'll help you do this stupid shit, just so I don't have to spend any more time with you. Oh, and just so you know…if you don't remind Locke about the Hogsmeade thing, he'll never remember. Next weekend, just go into town like a good little Mudblood and frolic with your loser friends."

"Why would I listen to you and get myself into trouble? Locke _does_ remember about the Hogsmeade weekends, because he told my Head of House that neither of us is allowed back," I informed Malfoy smugly. He rolled his eyes and we got to work. He snapped at me a few times, but other than that we worked in peace. All bickering aside, we managed to finish just as Locke was entering the Potions classroom to tell us that time was up.

"Well done, you two. I'll see the both of you back here next Saturday afternoon while your friends are in Hogsmeade. Also, ten points from Ravenclaw for using a spell against Mr. Malfoy, Miss Weasley. The wards on this classroom alert me when you use magic in here," Professor Locke said, docking my house of ten more points. I glared at Malfoy. The peacefulness of the night was over. As soon as we were in the hallway, he was going to get it. "Mr. Malfoy, five points from Slytherin for provioking Miss Weasley…and now, the both of you may leave. Sleep well." Locke herded us out of his classroom and into the hall. And I used the Jelly-Legs jinx on Malfoy. Malfoy took a few steps, stumbled and fell.

"What did you do, Weasley?" he asked as he stood up and tried walking a bit farther. I laughed as he fell again. "Undo this, Weasley, or you'll pay."

"Empty threats don't scare me," I sang as I ran past Malfoy. As I ran, I laughed merrily. He was getting what he deserved while I was well on my way back to my dormitory.

In the common room, there was a small party in full swing. Of course, Gloria sat amongst the cutest boys in the sixth and seventh years, the center of attention as always. She was drinking a can of butterbeer and laughing at a joke someone had just told. And of course, no one stopped me to ask if I wanted to join the festivities. All eyes were on Gloria and the older girls. I climbed the steps to my dormitory and got ready for bed. In the morning, I went down to breakfast with Freddie, wearing my hair down the way Gloria claimed he liked.

"You know, I was really surprised when Gloria told me that you had a detention. What did you do wrong?" he asked as he helped himself to a large portion of eggs.

"I got into a fight with Scorpius Malfoy, the biggest git in Hogwarts history," I replied, smiling at the thought of Malfoy struggling to walk back to the Slytherin common room. It was a lovely thought. "Last night after detention, I hit him with a Jelly-Legs jinx. You should have seen it, Freddie; it was hilariously funny!"

"I can imagine. Listen, Rose…would you maybe want to go into Hogsmeade with me next Saturday? Kind of like a date, you know…I really like you, and it would make me really happy if you said yes," Freddie propositioned me. I bit my lip. How could I let him down easily? He was nice, but….

"I'm sure Rosie here would love to say yes to you, loser, but she has a date with _me_ next weekend," I heard Scorpius Malfoy say from behind me, so loudly that I suspect he was using a charm to amplify his voice level. "Oh, and by the way Rose…last night was amazing. That jinx you sent my way was lovely; you know how much I like it when you play dirty with me. Can't wait for next weekend, love." I turned to look up at Malfoy and found him smiling down at me. He bent and pecked my cheek before retreating. Looking down the Ravenclaw table, I saw several people watching me with interest. Damn it!

"You're dating Malfoy? I thought you hated him," Freddie said, looking somewhat down. I grimaced at the very thought of dating Malfoy.

"Eww, Freddie, _no_! of course I'm not dating Malfoy! He-he-he's just trying to get back at me for jinxing him last night, is all. Don't even entertain the thought," I tried to reassure Freddie. It didn't work. By dinnertime, the whole school was buzzing with the rumor that Rose Weasley and Scorpius Malfoy were an item. And to make things worse, I _would_ be spending next Saturday with him. It would look like we were genuinely interested in one another, and I could do nothing to quell the rumors. Looks like I was now the girlfriend of Scorpius Malfoy.


	3. The Bet

Fire and Ie

Chapter 3: The Bet

"Are you going to hole up in the library studying again tonight?" Gloria asked me, plopping down on my bed like she owned it. I shrugged. "Come on, Red, it's bloody Halloween. The feast is going to be amazing, and then we have Hogsmeade tomorrow and…oh, never mind. Miss the feast if you must."

"I have a lot more work than you do, Gloria; you have to understand that. It's why I can't go to the feast, you know that," I tried explaining, but Gloria still shook her head at me in disappointment. I sighed. "Look, just go and have a good time, okay? And make sure that stupid Scorpius keeps his mouth shut about our 'love affair'. I wouldn't want to have to injure him for being an ass."

"Whatever. I'll see you later on," she muttered, playfully shoving me. I grinned at her and she smiled back. "By the way, did I tell you that James is totally jealous that me and Albus made out the other day? I guess that his little hand-holding moment with Clarabel was indeed nothing, and now they're in a fight for my attention."

"Haha, well…I know you'll enjoy that," I said, getting up and grabbing my schoolbag in preparation for library time. "I'll walk with you for a bit, so as to keep you happy with me." Gloria smiled at me again, and we linked arms and headed out of the dormitory.

"Freddie really wants you to go to Hogsmeade with him tomorrow. Perhaps you should start going with him so that the Scorpius-Rose rumors will go away," Gloria suggested. I rolled my eyes. She's ALWAYS trying to get me together with Freddie, even though I tell her constantly that I _do not like him_!!

"If you suggest that I hook up with Freddie one more time I am going to do something really bad to you," I threatened her playfully. She pretended to flinch. At the library, Gloria and I parted ways. I found a table in a secluded area of the library where I could spread out my star charts for Astronomy and set to work. I had a Potions essay to complete and some spells to practice for Transfiguration and Charms. School had only been on for a month and already the fifth years were being given tons and tons of work. Of course, some things did come easily to me (thanks to my mum) but it didn't mean I could get away with not studying.

"Well, well, well…if it isn't Rose Weasley skipping out on the Halloween feast to do homework." I looked up to see Scorpius, my "boyfriend", leaning against a bookshelf with a sneer on his face. "Haven't you got better things to do with your time?" But I could see that Malfoy had his own schoolbooks with him, so I just smiled.

"You can join me if you'd like. After all, it seems that neither of us have better things to do than schoolwork," I offered, moving over my things. What happened next surprised me. Scorpius actually sat down beside me at the table. "Have you started the essay for Defense Against the Dark Arts as yet? It took me all afternoon to finish, just so I could possibly have some free time this weekend."

"It's not as though you could go anywhere," Malfoy reminded me. "By the way, I just wanted to thank you once more for our lovely punishment. It's really putting a damper on my fashion sense. I need to be measured for new robes for the Yule Ball, which is only two months away, but alas! I'm stuck in the dungeons with you every Hogsmeade weekend, and if I write home to my mum to complain I'll only be in trouble with my dad for not being able to hold my own against a Weasley. Thanks so much, Red Rosie!"

"Bugger off, Malfoy," I muttered, turning away from him to look back at my work. "I asked you to sit with me under the impression that we could be civil with each other for the rest of the evening, but…I guess I was wrong. It seems that you can't last five minutes without making some snarky comment or mean put down about me or my family." Malfoy rolled his eyes and looked skywards.

"How much do you want to bet, Weasley?" Malfoy asked me, still looking towards the ceiling in what I assume was exasperation. "Let's see…we can't bet with _real_ money because my dad says the Weasleys are an infamously poor family, so…what _can_ we bet with?"

"Cut the shit, Malfoy. You're really starting to offend me," I warned him. "We can too bet with money. My parents aren't poor, and I have plenty of pocket money to spend."

"A hundred galleons, then? Is that a fair sum to bet?" he asked. My jaw dropped. Was he kidding? My entire savings account only held one hundred and fifty galleons; there was no way I was going to bet so much money. Malfoy could afford to throw around that much money, but there was no way I would be able to do that. The money would be nice if I won, but if I lost…but there was no way I was going to lose to Malfoy. I steeled myself and held out my hand to him. "Not so fast, Weasel. What are we betting on, exactly? We can hardly shake hands without thinking up some guidelines to follow."

"Fine. We're betting that you will not be able to be civil to me for an entire school year," I decided after a few moments of contemplation. It was true, after all. There was no way he'd be able to be polite to me for more than one day. It would: a) ruin his reputation and b) make my cousins so furious that they'd probably kick his ass into next week and back again. But instead of backing down, Scorpius just smiled.

"Deal, Weasley. But you have to call me Scorpius, and be just as civil to me. And you have to keep your stupid cousins off my back, too, or I win the bet automatically. It'd be best if you…oh, I don't know…mentioned that we're dating and that they need to keep their hands off me," he added. I sighed.

"Fine, but you have to call me Rose and stay away from my cousin Lily. She's too good for you," I told him with a cocky smile. So we shook on it and got back to our studying. Around midnight, I decided to turn in. "See you tomorrow, _Scorpius_."

"I can't wait, _Rosie_," he replied, waggling his fingers at me with a free hand.

The next afternoon, I watched out the window of my dormitory as all of my friends trooped off to Hogsmeade to do some early Christmas shopping. I grabbed a book I had taken from the library last night and reluctantly made my way down to thePotions classroom. Scorpius was already there, lounging comfortably in Professor Locke's desk chair reading something.

"Locke's just left; he trusted me to ensure that you'd show up, but I figured you'd come of your own accord. Anyway, how's it going Wease-I mean, Rose?" Scorpius asked. I shrugged and took a seat near the back of the classroom. "Why are you so far away? I thought civility meant making some sort of effort to befriend one another."

"Are you joking? I'd rather kill myself than be friends with you," I told him, trying not to smile when he raised his eyebrows in surprise. I opened my book and began reading.

"I never really expected to hear that suicide was a better option than being friends with me," Scorpius said after a moment of silence. "Tell me, Rose, am I really all that bad? I mean, I think I'm pretty good looking and all of my friends seem to like me."

"Exactly. Your friends _seem_ to like you, but they don't-not really. Your last name is Malfoy, so of course they have to respect you; and being good looking doesn't mean thqat people will like you. You have to be nice, and funny, and conscientious, and sweet, and…wait, why am I even bothering to explain this to you?" I asked him, realizing that I was just spouting off the characteristics I would want _my_ dream guy to have, and there was no way Scorpius Malfoy would ever be that guy.

"Because you're being nice, which I guess I'll never be," he muttered. I looked up at him, and was surprised to find that his expression was impassive like he didn't even care. From the tone of his voice, I had assumed that he would have looked sad or something, or maybe like he'd had some kind of life-changing epiphany. "Hey…can you give me a hand with the DADA essay? I'm having a really tough time with it."

"Are you joking? I won't even help my cousin Albus with it…you two are in the same class, though. Maybe you should ask him to help you out." Scorpius grunted in response, and I got back to my reading.

"Come on, Rose…remember that time when I stole your Arithmancy book? I gave it back when Jeffrey Weatherby told me you were failing, didn't I?" Scorpius asked. "I would never let a fellow Hogwarts student fail a class. Would you?"

"You're not failing. Look, let me finish this chapter and I'll be more than happy to help you out. If we're going to be _civil_-not friends, mind you-you need to know that I hate to be disturbed when I'm reading," I informed him, rolling my eyes before returning to my book. It was a very interesting book about magical gambling by an author called Lucky Chance. When I was done with the chapter-okay, maybe the chapter_ after_ that-I finally got around to helping Scorpius with his essay, except that what he called "looking over" was turning into me _writing_ his paper for him.

"Good looking out, Rosie. Only three inches left; I'll take it from here," Scorpius said, holding his hand out for his quill. He was smiling as if he was pleased with himself. He had planned for me to do most of the work for him, and I had fallen into his trap! It's not my fault that I get a bit carried away sometimes. After all, his paper needed quite a bit of work even without my help.

"You're welcome," I replied, before pointing to the portion I had written and muttering '_Obliterato_' and erasing it completely. Scorpius gasped, and I was finally rewarded with watching the Ice Prince finally show some emotion. "Haha, you're not so good looking when your eyes are popped out and your mouth is wide open. That should teach you a lesson about using people." I felt rather happy with his reaction. He seemed rather angry with what I had just done, which was good.

"Thanks so much for your help," he said sarcastically. I giggled happily and bounced back to my seat to finish up the book. I was nearly done and couldn't wait to read more of Lucky's opinions on magical gambling. I glanced at Scorpius a few times; he was mumbling to himself about something. Around four, he offered to go and get an early dinner for us. I watched him like he was a madman. "You're hungry, right? I mean, that book isn't going to feed you, and your stomach is probably eating itself by now."

"Dinner sounds lovely, and you're right. I _am_ hungry; starving, actually," I admitted, allowing Scorpius to go off and procure some food for us. He returned twenty minutes later eating a huge sandwich and holding a glass of pumpkin juice in another hand. "Ew, I really hope you don't think I'm going to share that with you."

"Nope. I got it just for myself as retribution for taking off nine inches of my essay. I really hadn't planned for you to write that much, and I _did_ appreciate your help, but of course…Malfoys aren't to be trusted, am I right? We don't make good friends and we're just completely horrible people," Scorpius drawled. I stood up and pointed my wand at him. "I wouldn't do that if I were you, oh fiery one. Locke's got his wards set to alert him if magic's used in here. If I were a horrible person, I would have let you get in trouble, but I'm not, so…I think I'll just leave. Everyone should be returning to school by now, right? I assume we're free to go. Until February, Fire Princess."

With a regal bow, Scorpius left the room. He was right, I wouldn't have to endure his company until February! Next month was Christmas hols, and there wasn't usually a Hogsmeade trip in January…two months free of Scorpius and, by default, the bet! I shut my book and raced up to my dormitory to share the good news with Gloria! As far as I was concerned, Scorpius Malfoy was a thing of the past…until I crashed headfirst into my cousin James. My brother Hugo was right behind him, with Albus and Lily bringing up the rear.

"What's this?" I asked when James pushed me into an empty classroom. He was rougher with me than he usually is, using force to get me inside.

"Family meeting," he replied. Albus slammed the door shut behind him. "We hear that you've been down in the dungeons snogging Scorpius Malfoy all afternoon." WHAT?

"And don't even try to deny it, Rosie. He's got the love bites to prove it. How could you do this, after all his family has done?" Albus asked angrily. I looked to Hugo. Did he believe this, too? He nodded solemnly. "When I first heard the rumors, I thought it was a joke. I mean, a Weasley and a Malfoy? Bogus. At least, that's what we thought until we heard Scorpius bragging to his friends in the Great Hall."

"The git used a Sonorus charm, too, so that the whole bloody _school_ could hear him. He says he left marks where only you can see, but that he could hardly control you," Hugo added. Fury boiled inside me as I began to explain, slowly and carefully, the events of this afternoon. Malfoy had most certainly lost the bet, and boy oh boy was he going to pay.


	4. Payback's a Bitch

Before you guys go any further, I just want to say thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed!! It definitely feels nice to see that people actually like what I'm writing!!! I hope you like it, but if you don't…let me know, please. /

Fire and Ice

Chapter Four: Payback's a Bitch

For two weeks, I let the rumors about a Scorpius-Rose romance fly around school. I was content to sit around and watch as Scorpius strutted about school as though he was a big stud. All the while, I was plotting my revenge. After all, there was a Hogsmeade weekend coming up, which meant that Scorpius would be all mine for an entire afternoon of torture. Step one: butter up Professor Locke so that he would allow Malfoy and me to meet somewhere else. During Potions class on the Thursday before Hogsmeade, I walk up to Professor Locke's desk. The potion I'm working on is simmering away, and I have Gloria watching over it to make sure that it doesn't get wrecked.

"Um, Professor?" I said tentatively to get Locke's attention. He was busy reading a newpaper and hadn't seen me approach him. "About this Saturday….well, I'm sure that you've heard the rumors about Scorppius and I…"

"I have indeed, Miss Weasley," he agreed with me. I sighed; Locke didn't look like he was going to be very kind to me. "While I am sure that you and Mr. Malfoy are happy together, I will not be withdrawing my punishment for the two of you to go on some silly date in Hogsmeade. Mr. Malfoy has already asked me, and I have already turned him down. Perhaps he thought I would be more lenient towards you, but I will not allow it."

"That's not at all what I was going to ask you, Professor Locke," I said, offering him a smile. "I was just wondering if Scorpius and I could meet up elsewhere this Saturday. You see, we are working on a project together, for Arithmancy, and Professor Vector has already given us permission to work in her classroom. She will be supervising, of course, so she can give proof of our being in the castle all day."

"I will think on it, Miss Weasley. For now, you need to be worrying about your potion. I will not be forgiving if Miss Knipping happens to destroy your hard work. You could have just as easily approached me with this suggestion _after_ class," Locke snapped, dismissing me with a wave of his hand. I gave him a small, hopeful smile before going back to my cauldron to add the next set of ingredients to my potion. If I was going to get Locke's approval, this potion needed to be absolutely perfect.

"…and so, James asked me why I was wasting my time with Albus and I was just about to answer him when Albus came up behind me and hugged me. Horrible timing, that boy has. I'll never snag James now," Gloria was complaining to a Hufflepuff named Belinda. I rolled my eyes at them. Those two never focused on Potions. How they would become Healers-their desired professions-without competency in the actual _class_ was beyond. I smirked as Gloria cursed. She had forgotten to stir her potion, and it was now the wrong shade. "Bloody hell, Belinda!! You're always distracting me from my work!"

"Miss Weasley," Professor Locke stopped me on my way out of class. I tried to look innocent and curious. "Could you come here a moment, please?"

"Yes sir," I agreed, stepping aside so Gloria could pass out the door. She shot me a pitying look, but I just shrugged and waved her off. After all, I already knew what he wanted to talk to me about.

"About your request…I have decided that it is acceptable. I have some things I must attend anyway, and it would be much simpler if I did not have to worry about you and Mr. Malfoy behaving inappropriately while I am not present," Locke said, sneering at me. As if I would ever behave inappropriately with Scorpius Malfoy!! Gross! "You may go now. If you are late to class, just tell your teacher that you were with me." I nodded at him before running off to double Transfiguration.

Step two in the plan against Scorpius: alert my cousins and little brother to the fact that I would be spending a day alone with Scorpius to further incense their anger. As soon as they got him alone, they would likely pound him to dust…if they didn't pound me first, that is. After a very successful Transfiguration class, in which I outperformed all of my peers, I went to the Great Hall for lunch. Gloria was standing by James at the Gryffindor table, chatting animatedly about something or other.

"Well, well, if it isn't the little traitor," James said when I approached the table. I made a face at him. "Have you come to steal the beautiful Gloria away from me?"

"Hardly. I actually just wanted to let you know that I'm going to be with Scorpius all day Saturday…I was wondering if you could pick out a gift for Albus for me? I can't figure out what to get him, and Christmas is drawing rather near," I said sweetly to James, smiling as his face darkened at the mention of Scorpius's name. "I'll give you the money tomorrow morning, before Scorpius and I closet ourselves away for the day!! See you later, love!!" I pranced away merrily, glancing back twice to see if James was still watching me. He wasn't; instead, he was glaring in Scorpius's direction. Lovely.

My next target was Hugo. I found him out on the grounds frolicking around in the first snow of the year. Boys will always be boys, even if Hugo thinks he's mature for his age. When he spotted me, he sent a snowball flying my way. I ducked, but being tall has its disadvantages. I got hit on top of my head anyway. I scowled as Hugo and his little friends laughed loudly at me.

"Hugo! Come here a moment, I have a favor to ask of you," I said sweetly, beckoning him to come closer. He hesitated, unsure of whether I was going to pelt him with snowballs if he got any nearer to me. I held my hands in front of me so that he would approach. "Hi Hugo!"

"Hi Rosie. What do you want from me?" he asked apprehensively. I rolled my eyes. It's not as I could make a snowball appear out of nowhere. I mean, technically….I could use magic, but I wasn't planning on it.

"I just wanted to know if you could pick out a Christmas gift for James tomorrow in Hogsmeade. I'm going to be spending the day with Scorpius, and I can't think of what to get James anyway…I'll give you the money in the Great Hall tomorrow before I go off with Scorpius," I told him, backing away carefully. Hugo, who had just been blinded by a snowball in the face, nodded dumbly, his face reddening as he realized what I had just said. I smiled at him before turning and running back up to the castle.

After my last class the next day, I headed up to my dormitory to change into some regular clothes. I was planning to meet Lily to work on Transfiguration in a spare classroom. She would be working on transfiguring spiders into erasers, and wanted to make sure she got it right on her own. Gloria was waiting for me beside my bed when I entered the large room we shared. She looked rather unhappy, but I didn't bother asking why. She would tell me soon enough. I changed from my school uniform into jeans and a T-shirt, and pulled my ridiculously wavy red hair up into a ponytail.

"Aren't you going to ask me what's wrong?" Gloria asked, pouting.

"No," I replied simply. Honestly, I didn't really care. Best friend or not, she has way too much drama for me. I prefer the simple life, you know? Schoolwork, social hour once in a while, a date here and there….but Gloria likes living the glamorous life. If I didn't know she was a Muggle-born, I would have assumed that she was a pureblood by the way she proudly struts around like she owns Hogwarts.

"Well, I'm going to tell you anyway and you are going to feel very sorry for me when you hear it," she informed me. I doubted that, but I didn't vocalize my thoughts. "I've got detention for a _week_, and it's all because of your stupid little boy toy Scorpius Malfoy. I was having a little chat with Gavin and he started yelling about me standing him up the other day, and then Scorpius called me a whore for…" I tuned her out. After all, anytime Malfoy is involved, there's trouble. I nodded in all the right places, and when Gloria had finally let it out all out, I was free to leave.

"You're late! I was about to come and look for you. I have news for you!!" Lily exclaimed, hopping up and down excitedly. "Malfoy, James, Albus, and Hugo got into the _hugest_ fight today! It was right before the Slytherin and Gryffindor fifth years have Potions together…James and Malfoy were having this huge argument, and then Hugo and Albus jumped in and-spells were flying everywhere and a bunch of people got hit. Albus and James are off the Quidditch team for the next two matches, and Malfoy's got detention with Locke evey Thursday and Friday until the end of term."

"That's hardly something to be excited about, Lily. I mean, honestly…what were they thinking, ganging up on Malfoy three to one? It's really dangerous," I said. Lily raised her eyebrows at me, surprised by something. "What? Why are you looking at me like that? Do I have a booger on my face or something?"

"No, but you just defended Malfoy…you were insisting to us the other day that there's nothing going on between the two of you, yet now you're telling me it's a bad thing that he got what was coming to him," Lily said. I shrugged.

"I'm not defending him, Lily. It's _true_; it was stupid of them to use magic on him when he couldn't really defend himself against them. If three of the meanest Slytherin girls ganged up on you, I'm more than sure Scorpius would take your side," I reasoned, but Lily shook her head furiously. She looked disgusted. "You know what? Let's just forget about Malfoy. We came here to practice your transfiguration, so let's get on with it."

Saturday morning dawned gray and bleak. It was chilly in the castle, so I bundled up in one of my gran's famous sweaters and headed down to the dungeons to fetch Scorpius so I could exact my revenge. Step three in my plan: I had sent Scorpius an owl Friday telling him that Professor Locke wanted us to meet elsewhere.

"Let's get on with this, Rose," Scorpius spat out. He had a black eye, probably from one of my Uncle George's jokes, which meant it would remain for several days. I raised my eyebrows innocently.

"Why are you being so haughty, Scorpius? You didn't mind spending the afternoon with me _last_ Saturday," I reminded him. He scowled at me. The room I planned to use for exacting my revenge was just off the Great Hall. This way, once I had done what I needed to, Scorpius would regret the day he had ever messed with me. When we entered the room, I shut the door and locked it behind me. There were no desks in the room thanks to James, who was in on the plan.

"Where are we supposed to sit?" Scorpius asked me, looking around the room in confusion.

"You aren't supposed to sit," I replied, taking out my wand and quickly placing a Full-Body bind on Malfoy so that he fell over, stiff as a board. Malfoy look terrified when I stood over him with my wand pointing at his chest. "Just consider this payback for trashing my name and reputation, and for making me known as a slut all through school." Using a disrobing charm my mum had shown me once, I stripped Scorpius of all his clothes so that he lay naked before me. Then, using some ropes, I tightly tied his hands up. Then I took the spell off him.

"What are you doing, Weasley? Put my clothes back on; it's bloody freezing in this room!!" Scorpius exclaimed. I grinned at him and then pulled him to his feet. "Cut the shit, Weasley. Seriously, what are you planning to do to me?"

"Nothing at all. I should be asking you what you're planning to do to _yourself_, Malfoy. You see, you owe me a hundred galleons, because you have most certainly lost our bet. slandering my name counts as not being civil, I think," I told Malfoy, jabbing him in the chest vindictively with my wand. "Now, I could cover up your bits and let you prance around school in dignity until someone takes pity on you, but I think you should endure the shame that I feel when girls whisper about me behind their hands. Now, I made up a little spell that will ensure that you stay naked until you've been thoroughly embarrassed. I hope it works, because…well, if it doesn't, you might get hurt. Here's hoping." And I pointed my wand at Malfoy and cast a spell that I hoped would work. James had helped me come with it, using some texts from the Restricted Section of the library. He was pretty good at coming up with spells, so I had high hopes for this one.

"All set in there?" I heard James ask through the locked door. I gave a bird call, our secret signal, and James used '_Alohomora_' to unlock the door. "Now, listen here Malfoy. If you tell anyone about who did this to you, you're going to pay dearly for it. My brother and I, and my little cousin Hugo, would really like another reason to kick your pathetic Slytherin arse. You're free to leave here; have a lovely afternoon, kid."

"Empty threat, Potter. I'm not afraid of you and your stupid relatives. Why can't you just fight me one on one, eh?" Malfoy asked James defiantly. Even though he was naked, he still wasn't afraid of my cousins. "Now I think of it, Weasley…you lose the bet too. You never did call off your cousins."

"Maybe later, _little_ one. Even my baby cousin has a larger penis than you," James sneered, shoving Scorpius out of the classroom and into the hallway. There were a number of students who were leaving the Great Hall after lunch, and all of them got a great view of Scorpius naked. "Now, let's set this room back to rights so you don't get blamed for any of this." Together, James and I re-conjured all of the furniture, and I settled into one of the desks with a good book.

James went around bragging about the trick he had played on Malfoy right up until the end of term. It was all over school how he had been forced-by some unnamed person-to hop around school naked. He was the laughingstock of the whole school, and even his precious Slytherin friends were picking on him. Malfoy had gotten his comeuppance, but I didn't feel good about it at all.


	5. Big Trouble

Fire and Ice

Chapter Five: Big Trouble

"We're _soooo_ lucky Malfoy didn't blab to anyone about our little prank," James whispered to me. We had just gotten onto the train to return home for Christmas break. "My mum says you're coming home with us today, you and Hugo both…want to plan some more payback for Malfoy?" I shook my head no. No way was I going to start more trouble with Malfoy. He'd already suffered enough for our ministrations several weeks ago.

"He's had enough, James. Honestly! If I had known you were going to enjoy this so much, I'd never have asked you to help me. Can't you see how horrible everyone's been to Scorpius since we played that prank on him?" I asked angrily. James raised his eyebrows at me in surprise. "Sure, I wanted it as much as you did at first…but maybe I was wrong. Maybe he didn't deserve such harsh revenge. After all, hardly anyone teases me about being his girlfriend anymore, but I'm not so sure people will ever let _this_ prank die down." Especially not with James, Albus, and Hugo making fun of him every chance they got. James just shrugged.

"Once an ass, always an ass. I'm sure he'll bounce back, little cousin. It was nice catching up with you, but I'd better go and see Clarabel before she gets angry with me. She got me a present, and I have to sweeten her up so she won't realize I didn't get her anything," James said, shooting me a big smile before vacating the otherwise empty train car we had been sharing. Of course, kids were still wandering around trying to find seats, so it was no surprise to me when Gloria sauntered in with Albus on her arm. A few of the other girls from our house followed with their boy toys in tow.

"Hey love! I was wondering where you got off to," Gloria said happily sitting down beside me. I smiled at her and pulled out the book I had brought along to read on the ride to London. "Oh, don't you go off reading a stupid book, Rose! Talk to me; you've been so mean lately, holing up in the library and studying like mad."

"And you've been equally busy snogging my cousin," I retorted, not even bothering to look up at her. Albus tittered nervously. "Hey Al, Hugo and I are coming home with you today! That means we can play a few games of Quidditch before my mum comes round and has a heart attack at the sight of precious Rosie on a broom."

"Sure thing," Albus agreed heartily. When I glanced at him, he gave me a thumbs-up sign. "Love the prank you played on Malfoy, by the way. The loser couldn't even get anyone to help him cover up. Looks like he's not the popular chap he thinks he is."

"Well, _I_ hear that he's very nicely endowed," Patricia Harris piped up. I glanced at her and she winked, causing my face to heat up in embarrassment. I had mentioned the fact to her, not expecting her to repeat it to anyone. I would _never_ want anyone to know that I found the sight of naked Scorpius appealing. "I won't reveal my sources, of course, but…I hear she got a very nice view of his entire package."

"I definitely didn't need to hear that," Albus said, wrinkling his nose. I laughed along with everyone else, and the rest of the train ride passed quickly, filled with pleasant conversation and me reading aloud from the romance novel I had brought along.

"Ready for some fun, Rosie?" Hugo asked as we waited for our aunt and uncle to appear. I shrugged, and Hugo awkwardly put his arm around my shoulder. "Why've you got the blues, Red? After all, that prank you pulled on Malfoy was priceless. Me and the boys in my year can't _wait_ until we've got enough schooling to pull something like that off!!"

"I don't have the blues, Hugo. I'm perfectly happy; I just want to go home and relax in my room by myself. I hate sharing with a bunch of gaggling girls who only think about boys and hair and makeup…" I trailed off as Scorpius approached me. "Can I help you, Malfoy?" His mouth was set in a firm line as he held up a bag full of money.

"Your winnings from the bet. You were right, Rose. A Malfoy and a Weasley can never really get along, only this time it wasn't my fault," he said quietly. "So, go on and take the money. It's yours fair and square…and I want to apologize for the rumors, too. It was wrong of me to talk all that shit, when of _course_ someone as stuck-up as you would never put out anyway." Scorpius sneered at me as he dropped the money at my feet and walked off towards his father. Hugo tried to go after him, but I stopped him.

"Leave it, Hugo. It's nothing, really…we just had a little bet going and I won it. Come on, I see mum. We must not be going to Uncle Harry's after all," I told him, picking up the bag of galleons and shoving it into my purse. "Mum!!" I ran into my mother's arms and embraced her tightly.

"I missed the two of you so much I just _had_ to come and fetch you myself. Now, I have to drop you off and run back to the office, but I just wanted to see the both of you," she said, ruffling Hugo's hair before setting off at a brisk pace for the car. She's shorter than Hugo and I, so her pace wasn't really that difficult to keep up with. "There's plenty of food in the fridge if you get hungry, and I know you'll be hungry Hugo. My mum says she'll pop in to say hello to the both of you. I want no fighting Hugo, and don't leave the house until your dad gets home from work, Hugo."

"No scolding for Red? She's not exactly perfect, you know," he protested. I could tell he was about to put his foot in his mouth and bring up the prank on Scorpius. I reached back and pinched him hard on the leg. "Oww! What was that for? Bloody hell!"

"And watch your mouth, too, Hugo!" she scolded him. He winced. "Rose, I found a very interesting book in Diagon Alley and left it on your bed for you. Your dad wanted to give it to you for Christmas but I knew you'd want to read it before then." I smiled gratefully at my mum when she looked my way.

"Thanks. I could use a good book right about now," I admitted, thinking about the money in my purse. What was I going to do with it? I felt guilty keeping it, seeing as I was more of a loser than Scorpius.

"Well, here we are, loves…I'll see both of you this evening," my mum said as we moved to leave the car. "Be good, Hugo! Rose, lock all of the doors!"

"Is it okay if I go over to Freddie's for a little while?" I asked my mum just as she was about to drive off. She just waved goodbye. Well, she hadn't said no…

"Finally!! Two weeks of gaming pleasure, sleeping in, and complete leisure!" Hugo yelled excitedly, jumping onto the couch and flipping on the TV. "Yahooooo!!"

"Don't be such a wanker," I muttered as I lugged my trunk up to my room. I pulled it into the room and shut the door. Breathing heavily, I flopped onto my bed to rest for a few moments before I took at my new book. I ended up falling asleep, because I woke to Hugo poking me repeatedly in the stomach. "Cut it out, Hugo!! I'm not just some piece of dough you can stick your finger into whenever you ant."

"It isn't my fault that you tummy _feels_ like a piece of dough," he replied, holding an envelope out to me. "It's yours, just came…nice owl that delivered it, this really rich, chocolate-y brown color. If I was a thief, I'd have held it captive or something."

"Did you read this?" I asked him suspiciously. He shook his head no, but I didn't believe him. I flipped the letter over several times to make sure it was still unopened.

"It's from Malfoy, I think…has their family crest on it according to dad. I wonder why he'd be sending you a letter," Hugo mused, raising an eyebrow at me. It was a quirk he had learned from one of our uncles, and it never failed to unnerve me. "Go on and open it, then. I'd like to see what this is all about. Dad's curious too, you know; he's waiting downstairs for me to report back to him on it."

"Well, you go downstairs and tell him it's none of his business and none of yours, either," I snapped, getting up and pushing Hugo towards the door. For someone as skinny as he is, I was surprised at how difficult it was to move him. "Get _out_ of here, Hugo!"

"Fine, fine, fine," he whined, rubbing his shoulder as he left. I shut the door behind him and opened up the letter.

_Rose,_

_I just wanted to let you know that I sent a letter to your mum about the little prank you played on me. Don't worry; I left out the part about your cousin James. After all, I figure that someone as fiery and strong as you can surely handle a big punishment. Something tells me you won't be enjoying the lovely winter sun for quite some time Payback's a bitch, isn't it?_

_Cheers,_

_Scorpius_

As if on cue, I heard my mum yelling from downstairs: "ROSE WEASLEY, IF YOU DO NOT CART YOUR BEHIND DOWN HERE THIS INSTANT….I-I-I DON'T WANT TO EVEN _THINK_ ABOUT WHAT I WILL DO TO YOU!!!" Uh oh.

Five minutes later, I was sitting in front of my mum and dad, my right cheek smarting where my mum had hit me in a moment of anger. I wasn't the least bit surprised at her anger. Dealing with Magical Law tends to leave my mum on edge when she's had a long day at work. Today was no different.

"You know, I woke up this morning extremely happy at the prospect of seeing my two wonderful children home from school for the holidays. Now, I don't know how I can even look at you when you've done something so-so-so _foolish_! What you did to the Malfoy boy was stupid, cruel, and illegal to boot. If he went forward with this, you could be expelled from Hogwarts!" my mother exclaimed. The letter she held from Malfoy was shaking in her hands, the only obvious indication of her rage. "What in Merlin's name possessed you to pull a stunt like this?!? I would expect something like this from Hugo, but never from you, Rose. You're always so good." I opened my mouth to speak up in my defense, but my mum just shook her head.

"We know about the rumors, Rose. Malfoy says he apologized for them," my dad said. He smiled at me fleetingly. "The magic bit was _so_ clever, though! Hardly something a girl your age could normally pull off. Nice work-ow!-but highly illegal, and very terrible of you." My mum had pinched my dad when he praised me for my wandwork.

"You're grounded. No Freddie, no Dreamspell concert next week with Gloria, nothing. I have also asked Scorpius to join us for Hugo's birthday dinner so you can apologize to him in person. This enmity between the Malfoy, Weasley, and Potter families has got to stop, Rose. I am going to make sure that the two of you get along if it is the last thing I do," my mum decided firmly. "Now, please go upstairs and get me the Dreamspell tickets. Lily and your aunt Ginny can go in your place."

"But _mum_!" I protested, tears springing to my eyes. Dreamspell is the most amazing wizarding rock band on the planet! I had spent three months' worth of pocket money just to buy front row seats for their winter concert, and now I was going to have to forfeit them to my stupid cousin and her mum. My mother pointed to the stairs, and I stomped up to my room to retrieve the tickets. I was in BIG trouble.


	6. Mistletoe

Fire and Ice

Chapter Five: Mistletoe

"The Dreamspell concert was soooo awesome! Rich Wandweave grabbed my hand once, and I nearly fainted!!" Lily gushed to me. It was January 1st, the day before we would be returning to school, and all of my cousins had gathered at our home to celebrate Hugo's fourteenth birthday. Lily was in my room helping me to wrap Hugo's gift, and blabbering on and on about how much she enjoyed herself at _my_ concert with _my_ front row seats. "I saw Gloria there, too. Al was oh so jealous when he heard _that_; bet he can't wait for the next Hogsmeade trip so he can snog her senseless again."

"Whatever, Lily…let's just get the wrapping done so we can sing happy birthday and you can leave," I snapp ed, slightly annoyed with her. She rolled her eyes at me and pushed the box away from her. "Very mature." I took the box and tied a bow around it for the finishing touch.

"Don't be jealous of me because I got to go to the concert instead of you. If you hadn't played such a stupid trick on Malfoy, you would've been front row and center enjoying it yourself," she retorted before stomping out of the room and down the stairs. I went over to the mirror to fix my hair one last time before heading downstairs. After all, James had brought along a friend of his from the Quidditch camp he had attended last summer. A very cute friend, might I add, with a taste for leggy redheads. A.K.A. me. At least, I was hoping that would be the case. My dad knocked once on my door before popping his head around. I jumped at the sound of his voice.

"Come on downstairs, princess. Your little guest is here and direly in need of your company. James and Al are eying him dangerously and Hugo's all set to throw the birthday cake at him, candles burning and all," he said, his eyes widening at the sound of yelling from downstairs. I groaned. Scorpius Malfoy was _not_ my little guest. He was mum's guest, and her responsibility. All I was being asked to do was apologize, and I would do that in due time. I opened my mouth to protest. "Now, Red. No complaints."

"But-but-but," I spluttered, but my dad just shook his head and beckoned for me to follow him down the stairs to the dining room. I sighed and obediently went down. Scorpius was sitting in the corner of the room away from everyone else, looking like he wanted nothing more than to leave. Al, James, and Hugo were standing in a huddle whispering about something to Vic, the Durmstrang cutie. Lily was probably in the kitchen with my mum and aunt, and my uncle Harry was nowhere to be found. My dad gave me a gentle push towards Scorpius and went over to the boys. "Hi."

"Nice place, Weasel. It's too bad your stupid cousins make it a big gloom fest with the dark looks they've been giving me. I mean, it's not like I _chose_ to come here. Your mum is extremely persistent," he told me, smirking. "Anyways, I do believe that you have something to say to me, don't you?" I shrugged.

"Not really. I actually don't have any idea why my mum asked you here today," I lied, smiling brightly at him. I pulled a chair over to him. "Perhaps my mum is just trying to stop all the rivalry between us kids and make us all get along."

"Bullshit, Weasley. I think you know just as well as I do why I'm here," Scorpius argued, glaring at me. "Speaking of apologies…I hear you missed out on one of the most amazing Dreamspell concerts of all time because of your nasty little prank. Who would've thought that someone as uptight as you is into lame little boy bands?"

"Sod off, Malfoy. You're such a jerk. I can't believe I was actually considering sending your stupid bed money back to you," I told him, angry at myself for having a conscience. I actually felt bad about what I did, but he had turned things around so that it was helpful to him and harmful to me. Scorpius laughed.

"There would have been no point in that, Weasley, seeing as I gave you leprechaun gold. Haven't you checked the bag lately? It should be empty. I mean, no way was I going to give you my money after you were such a bitch to me," he whispered, because my mum had just entered the room. My fingers were just itching to slap him silly.

"Er, Rosie? Could you run into the kitchen and grab that platter of chicken? I forgot to bring it out…and maybe Scorpius can go along and help you with it," my mum suggested. I led the way out of the dining room to the kitchen, with Scorpius at my heels. He tried to push past me into the room, but found himself stuck. And I was stuck too, I realized, as I tried to step into the kitchen. My stomach sank as I looked upward at the mistletoe my dad had charmed above the door in a Christmas decorating frenzy. Usually my mum took down the decorations early on, but her and my dad seemed to enjoy being rooted the spot for several kisses a day that she had failed to remove the dratted wreath.

"This is bloody brilliant," Malfoy muttered, following my gaze and looking up towards the ceiling. "My dad did this once when I was little, when him and my mum were on the road to splitsville. It definitely did the trick, seeing as they're happily married now." His tone was sarcastic, though, which surprised me. His parents always seemed content with one another during the few glimpses I had caught of them at Kings Cross.

"Well…I'd better call my mum to get this down," I said quietly, glancing shyly at Scorpius. He looked right back.

"Merlin, Weasley! Don't tell me you actually want me to kiss you," Malfoy replied, looking appalled at the very thought. "I mean, it wouldn't be a nightmare or anything, but…." He made some nonsensical hand motions.

"But I'm no Gloria Knipping, right?" I asked accusatorily. Malfoy raised his eyebrows in surprise, as if he hadn't expected me to make that conclusion. He shook his head. "Then what is it? I'm too tall for you, too fiery, too smart? Go on; tell me why you wouldn't want to kiss me. Am I really that bad?"

"Don't be stupid, Weasley. You're fine, you're brilliant…this just isn't how I picture my first kiss. Call me a romantic if you must, but…this isn't all that romantic," Malfoy said, grinning and motioning towards the mistletoe. I rolled my eyes. Leave it to wizards to not realize just how romantic it is to be trapped with a gorgeous girl under mistletoe.

"Are you kidding me?!? For someone who knows about the Muggle World, this is one of the most romantic situations a person can be in!!" I shrieked at him in annoyance.

"Too bad I'm not a muggle-born, then, eh? MRS. WEASLEY!!! ROSE AND I ARE STUCK BENEATH THE MISTLETOE!!" Malfoy yelled at the top of his lungs. The sound of six men running towards the kitchen filled my ears. Great. Now my entire family would be forced to witness one of the most awkward situations ever.

"What's wrong, Malfoy? My cousin too hot for your tastes? You can't do any better than Rosie here, so go and pucker up then," James goaded Scorpius. I sighed. Yep, they were definitely going to give us all a hard time.

"Yeah, go on and give our fire princess a little peck. She's been dreaming of this moment all her life," my dad added, causing my face to go red.

"Yeah, she wouldn't even mind that it was a Malfoy doing the kissing," Hugo piped up, earning a pinch on the bum from my mum, who had just joined the crowd.

"Stop it, all of you," she ordered, using her wand to get rid of the mistletoe and set us free. I heaved a sigh of relief. Thank heaven for my sensible mum! "Now Rosie, grab the chicken so that we can eat and have cake." I obediently fetched the chicken so that we could sit down to lunch. During the meal, my brother and cousins managed to be civil to Scorpius, who at first looked extremely uncomfortable with the idea of sharing a meal with my family.

By the time Hugo was opening his gifts, he was chatting with James and Al like they were old chums. Unfortunately, the moment we got back to school all of that would change. James would likely spread the mistletoe story (with loads of embellishment) all around school and Scorpius would probably insult my mum's cooking and the way she kept house. I was hopeful that I would get away with not having to apologize to him for the prank, considering how well everyone was getting on.

"Mrs. Weasley, I have to thank you for inviting me to Hugo's birthday party. It was a great day and I had a nice time, but…well, can you bring me home now? My dad's probably going to think I was kidnapped, seeing as I had to lie about where I was going in order to come here in the first place," Scorpius told my mum graciously. "Not that my dad doesn't like you or something…he just doesn't want me to get into any problems with your son and nephews, is all." I have to admit, his behavior was surprising in comparison to the way he always treats me. Mum agreed, of course. After all, how could she deny the charming Scorpius Malfoy any of his desires?

"But first, I must insist that Rosie give you her apology," my mother said abruptly, beckoning to me. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at her. I glanced at my dad, but he was obviously afraid of my mum's wrath, because he just shrugged and motioned towards her. I trudged over to where Scorpius was standing, reluctant to say anything to Malfoy. After all, he hardly deserved an apology! Sure, he had been nice than usual today and sure, he _had_ gotten along well with my cousins, but…it wasn't quite worth it.

"I'm really sorry for what I did," I said in a monotone, crossing my arms across my chest in annoyance at Scorpius. He raised his eyebrows at me, and then glanced at my mum. I followed his gaze and saw that she looked anything but pleased. "What?! I said sorry, so can I please go now? I have some things I want to get done before I have to go back to school, and the clock is ticking."

"Rosie…" my mum trailed off, in what I like to refer to as her "warning tone". I sighed and uncrossed my arms, eyeing Scorpius contemptuously. "I know that you two don't get along well, but…you need to put some effort into this, Rosie. If you could just _show_ that you meant it, I'm sure Scorpius would be more than happy to forgive you."

"_More_ than happy, Mrs. Weasley. I'd just _love_ to forgive Rose and be friends," Scorpius assured her, smiling mischievously.

_You're going to die, Malfoy_, I thought as I stammered through what I hoped would be a convincing apology. Oh, and he _would_ pay for this one. After all…he had tricked me, rejected me, and reduced me to a pathetic, groveling wench in just one day. This time, though…his torture would be private, and there was no way he was going to tell my mum about it.


	7. Exposed

A/N: Sorry for all the long delays! I don't have a computer up at school, so it gets really hard to post frequently. Anyway, this chapter is from Scorpius's point of view, because I felt like switching things up a bit. Enjoy!

Fire and Ice

Chapter Seven: Exposed

I never really cared for large families until Rose Weasley's mum invited me to Hugo's birthday party. My mum and dad, and my grandparents, were all I needed in order to be happy. Siblings would take all of the attention away from me, reduce my inheritance, and make my life a living hell. That's what I thought until Mrs. Weasley dropped me off at the gates to our mansion. Walking up the drive to the house, I pondered my father's ridiculous taste. The house was far too large for three people, and hardly as warm and cozy as the house Rose called home. We rarely used all of the rooms in the house; some rooms stayed locked year round because they were so unnecessary. Yet, for some reason, my father felt the need to live in extravagance and luxury just because he would. Of course, up until today I had never felt that way. I had no longing to be a part of a close knit family; my parents gave me just the right amount of privacy to do as I pleased. My dad never took me out for broom rides and my mum never baked me cookies. They loved me in their own way, I'm sure, but all of a sudden that was no longer good enough.

"Where have you been?!?" my mother asked frantically when I shoved the front door open and stepped into the house. She was pale, actually looked worried. Probably, my father had just laid into her for letting me slip out of her grip. He worries that some person who has a grudge against our family will take me out and end the Malfoy line for good. Hardly. She pulled me into her arms.

"Geroff me, mum. I was just at a birthday party," I snapped, pulling away from her embrace. "It's not like you care, anyway. Did dad threaten to kill you if I didn't return safely, or something? That's probably why you're standing here, isn't it?"

"Not quite," I heard my father say as he entered the large foyer. "You are just a boy, Scorpius. It is not acceptable for you to wander off without informing me…or your mother, of course. You need to ask for permission."

"Whatever. Sorry I worried you, then. I've got to go and finish packing my things for school," I grumbled moving towards the staircase. My father reached out a hand to stop me. "What now, dad? I have things to do."

"Of course. I just want to know where this party took place, who provided you with transportation, and what sort of things went on there," he said, frowning when I wrenched myself out of his grasp.

"It isn't any of your business. Just be happy I'm home safe and unharmed, okay?" I said, continuing towards the stairs. My dad would blow a gasket if he knew that I had been in the presence of Harry Potter, Hermione Granger Weasley, and Ron Weasley…the Golden Trio. As a child, my nanny used to read me the tales of their adventures until my dad found out. I was only five when he blasted the book to shreds. He was grateful for what Potter had done, and they had formed a sort of truce since their school days, but my dad still disliked him greatly.

Up in my bedroom-not to be mistaken with my lounge or my game room-I glanced at the contents of my trunk. My favorite house elf, Leif, had neatly folded all of my things into it. Of course, there were other things that I wanted to bring back, like my bag of money freshly withdrawn from Gringott's yesterday afternoon, and my new broomstick. I don't play Quidditch; I can't really stand the sport at all. I just like flying over the countryside and enjoying the view. I suppose you could say that I'm a bit of a romantic once you get past the façade I put up. I read poetry, listen to soppy music…hate smelly sports like Quidditch that are rough and violent and muss my hair. Dad thinks I'm gay, mum thinks I'm an intellect. I rather like her choice of words, because I do pride myself on my intelligence. It's the one thing that's going to help me get back at Rose Weasley.

You see, Weasley's a bitch. After all of the horrible things she's done to me, she certainly deserves the trouble I got her into over Christmas break. Having me parade my bits around Hogwarts in freezing cold weather was probably the worst prank anyone could play. For one, I keep on getting the attentions of seventh year girls itching to lose their virginity and stupid first years who've never seen a boy naked before. So bloody annoying, especially when I'm trying to save my first _real_ kiss for someone special.

The whole mistletoe thing earlier today, back at Weasley's house…it was weird. I mean, she wanted me to _kiss_ her, after all the horrid things she's done to me. she thought that I was going to kiss her in her warm, cozy kitchen but she was wrong. I want my first kiss to be perfect-perfect spot, perfect timing, almost-perfect person…and Weasley's kitchen wasn't the perfect place at all. But the weird part, right? The weird part is that even though the whole kitchen thing wasn't at all what I would have planned, I _wanted_ to kiss Weasley. I only said no because she was stupid enough to doubt herself, to think she wasn't comparable to the likes of Gloria Knipping, her ditzy best friend. How that chit got into Ravenclaw is beyond me, honestly.

"Master Scorpius, have you eaten dinner yet?" Leif asked me, appearing out of nowhere. I jumped back in surprise, crashing into my trunk and banging my leg on one of its sharp corners. "Leif is so sorry, master, that he scared you. Please forgive him, but the mistress asked me to make sure that you were fed before you went to bed."

"Tell my mum I'm fine. If I was hungry I would just go down to the kitchens. Now, get out. I have things to do," I said, annoyed and angry. I hate getting injured. Leif Disapparated, and I changed into some pajamas without taking a bath. I was too busy writing mental notes to myself to bother with the tediousness of a bath. Climbing into bed, I pulled my journal from under my pillow and whistled for my charmed quill to come to me. It flew straight out of my desk drawer and into my outstretched hand. Then, I began to write.

Back at school, my fellow Slytherins were up to no good, as usual. I don't really know how I fit into the house; probably it's because no Malfoy has ever been sorted into any other house. Or because I knew that if I'd been placed in Gryffindor, my dad would have withdrawn me from Hogwarts and sent me to Durmstrang before I could say 'Phoenix fire'. My best friend Gavin Avery approached me. It was mid-January and I was working on an essay for Charms class.

"Yes, Gavin?" I drawled lazily when he had been standing over me for some time.

"I just thought you should know that Lily Potter is finally ready to accept your attentions. You see, my younger sister was-shamefully-sorted into Gryffindor and…well, she hears that Lily's been asking all about you, and saying that you're the best looking lad in the entire school, and…well, I know you've always fancied her a bit. I mean, you have that penchant for redheads and all…" he blabbered. I lifted a finger to my lips to quiet him.

"I'm not interested, my friend. She's yours for the having," I assured him, knowing that this was where the conversation would lead eventually. "And yes, you can borrow a hundred galleons to purchase those everlasting flowers all the girls are going mad for. I'm sure she'd love to have some, and I know that your parents would think you were mad if you told them you needed that much spending money."

"Thanks mate; I really appreciate it!!! I've been eyeing her for quite a while, but you know those snooty Gryffindor girls. Us Slytherins aren't good enough for them. Heather Ownes was getting rather dull, if you catch my drift. I shall enjoy this new conquest quite a bit. Oh, and…can you cough up the galleons by next week? I want them to arrive in time for the Valentine's ball. It's a week before the actual holiday," Gavin informed me. I shrugged. It would be no problem for me to get the money to him. He clapped me on the shoulder. Hard. I winced. The tip of my quill had broken from the force of the slap.

"Bloody bollocks, Avery. What the hell are they feeding you these days?" I hissed, using my wand to mend the broken quill. "Move along, I've work to do. I'll give you the funds tomorrow morning at breakfast, if it's okay with you." He nodded and moved to clap my back again. I glared, and he moved away. See? With my friends, I'm a nice guy. I just have to be mean to survive outside the walls of my dormitory. I settled in to get back to work, only to be interrupted by two students stumbling into the common room snogging like crazy. Bloody hell, could I get no peace? I rolled up my parchment, shoved it into my bag, grabbed my quill and some ink, and stomped down to the library. Bloody couples. They were showing up everywhere these days. Love was in the air, just…not for me. In the library, I sat at a table where I was certain I wouldn't be interrupted.

"Imagine, everlasting roses for Rose," I heard some girl whisper. Looks like I was wrong. I was going to be interrupted. Of course, my ears perked up at the mention of the name Rose. She's on my mind a lot lately, probably because we're competing to be top of our year and I'm actually beating her this week. "If only some guy was willing to spend that much money on me…I'd be in heaven. Pity I don't have a rich boyfriend somewhere."

"Pity you don't even _have_ a boyfriend. I mean, honestly, Rose! When are you going to give Freddie a chance at your heart? You're not still pining away after Malfoy, are you? He didn't even kiss you that time in your kitchen; why bother waiting around for him?" I heard Gloria Knipping ask. Ah, so it _was_ Rose! And she was pining away for me? Ha. I slunk down in my seat so they wouldn't see me as they approached the table where I was sitting. I gulped when they sat _down_ there. Shit. I was stuck.

"Don't be stupid, Glo. I don't like him, I just…he called me brilliant. And he didn't think it was horrible to kiss me, even though he didn't do it," Rose sighed. "He can be nice, too. The other day he helped me translate a rune I was having trouble with, and last week he sent me a note in the post. It was really sweet; didn't I show it you?" shit. I'd forgotten about that note. It wasn't actually all that sweet. It was more of a thanks for her not being so evil to me lately, and apologizing for what I'd done to ruin her Christmas hols. I wasn't really all that sorry, because payback's a bitch after all. I suppose I was just trying to make peace with her. After all, I was now friends with her brother and cousins. It was only fair to make amends with her too, right?

"Yes, I saw it. It was sweet, I suppose, but I wouldn't get my hopes up when it comes to Malfoy. Kennedy McIntosh from Slytherin told Alison Keasts who told Heather Ownes who told Patricia Harris who told me the other day that he can be a wanker when it comes to girls. Rumor has it he broke her heart a few weeks ago, told her that she looked like a thestral on ether. I wouldn't get my hopes up if I were you. Kennedy's really pretty, and if he won't date her…" Gloria trailed off. That bitch! Was she implying that I wouldn't date Rose because she was unattractive? Because Rose really i_sn't_ unattractive. She's got these sparkly hazel eyes and straight white teeth that gleam when she grins, and a smattering of freckles across her cheeks. Kennedy McIntosh was a ghoul compared to Rose!

"Are you saying that I'm too ugly for Malfoy's tastes?" Rose asked, her voice catching slightly. "I mean, I know I'm not the _prettiest_ girl in the world, but…"

"Red, I'm not calling you ugly. You know I think you're gorgeous in your own way. I just think that Malfoy is…I don't know how to explain it," Gloria stammered. "But look, let's not talk about him anymore. Let's just get started on our homework. I have to meet Albus up in the Astronomy Tower at eight." They started to work, which screwed me over big time. I'm a tall guy, and being crouched in a tight area for a long period of time can be painful. Then, out of nowhere, Rose kicked me. HARD.

"Bollocks!!" I cried out before I could stop myself. Gloria and Rose screamed in unison. It was silent for a moment, and then I could hear Madame Pince's footsteps. Uh oh. Those idiots were going to get us _all_ in trouble

"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?" Madame Pince bellowed. Total silence. Then Pince ducked down and looked under the table. I was caught. "Get out from under there at once, Mr. Malfoy!!" She grabbed me by my collar and dragged me out from my hiding spot. Bloody hell.

"Er…hello Gloria. Weasley," I greeted the girls, smiling mischievously. Gloria yawned, but Rose was glaring at me as if I had done something wrong. It wasn't _my_ fault that I was under the table while she was pouring her heart out.

"All three of you, out of my library at once, or I will give you detention!" Pince yelled. Gloria was gone in a flash, but Rose took longer to get her things together. Hooch had drawn back, but she was still angry.

"How could you spy on us like that?" Rose asked softly, her cheeks bright red. I shrugged sheepishly. I hadn't _intended_ to spy. It just happens.

"It isn't my fault you decided to blab about your feelings for me while I was trying to do my work. Besides, I only hid so you wouldn't be mad at me for overhearing your stupid desire for everlasting roses," I explained, without any idea as to why I was explaining. I never explain. It goes against my principles. Rose turned to walk off. "But just so you know, Weasley: I think you're _way_ better looking than Kennedy McIntosh anyday. She really _does_ look like a thestral on ether." She flashed a grin in my direction before walking off. I followed, returning to my room in a daze. Rose liked me just as much as I liked her. Good to know.


	8. Cupid Rhymes With Stupid

Fire and Ice

Chapter Eight: Cupid Rhymes With Stupid

A/N: This one's from Scorpius's POV and Rose's as well. I hope you like it!

"Say Gavin… you wouldn't happen to have that catalogue from that Love Cauldron store lying around still, would you?" I asked my best friend. He shrugged.

"It's probably in my trunk somewhere. Why do you need it?" he asked, probably really surprised that I was even interested in flipping through it. "Buying something for your mum, eh? He's the only woman that can stand you, after all."

"If I wasn't a gentleman, you probably wouldn't have any hands to jack off with," I muttered, using my wand to summon the catalogue. It was all pink and frilly, and I had no idea how Gavin could stand the thing. To be honest, it totally disgusted me, so I opened it up and began looking at all the different products the store offered. Most of it was girly stuff, things that ditzy chicks like Gloria Knipping would like. She was hot, definitely bangable, but not at all my type. For a while last year, she'd tried getting her hands on the jewels, if you catch my meaning. I nearly hexed her to death. Anyway, back to the catalogue. I was looking for roses, everlasting ones, to give to Rose. Finally, I came across the page. "Where's the bloody order form, Avery? Valentine's Day is Saturday, and I have shit to order before it's too late."

"I used it, you idiot. It only comes with one order form, you know. What did you expect? It's a stupid _girly_ magazine," Gavin scoffed. "Women don't think of these things, apparently. But seriously, mate…who are the roses for? You know you can tell me anything."

"You sound like such a girl," I replied, pondering how I could get roses for Rose without an order form. I sighed. My only hope was to send a letter to the store and pray that they would accept it as a substitute for an order form. "Get me a quill, some ink, and a bit of parchment. NOW, Gavin." Gavin hopped to attention, pulling the needed items from my schoolbag so I wouldn't have to exert myself. Yes, I've got it like that. Not always, of course, but usually when Gavin owes me something…it's actually rather frequent, come to think of it. His mum and dad aren't all that carefree with money, and Gavin rarely gets more than 17 sickles a month for spending. I, on the other hand, have my own vault at Gringott's and can spend as much as I went as frequently as I want. I penned a note with my order rather quickly, and quite sloppily, and then sealed it with my wand. If they accepted the order, the money would automatically be transferred from my vault into the store's vault. Quick and easy.

"Who _have_ you got the hots for, Malfoy? After all, the only girl you ever spend anytime with is that Mudblood Weasel. Her dad disgusts me," one of the boys in my year said, shaking his head in apparent disgust. "She's not even sexy; all she has going for her is her abnormally large brain, and that isn't even saying much. Rumor has it that she's never even snogged anyone, and her sixteenth birthday is right around the corner. She's such a loser."

"_I_ wouldn't mind teaching her. She's probably a real fast learner," a guy named Justin leered. I glared at him angrily. Why did they think it was okay to criticize Rose around me? Sure, I had made fun of her a time or two (or eight million) before, but that didn't give anyone else the right to o it. Justin raised his eyebrows and grinned. "Why so angry, Scorpius? After all, you're the one who made up that whole joke about being in a relationship with her back in the day. Unless it was true…and you've developed feelings for the loser?"

"She isn't a loser," I argued, rolling my eyes. "Talk about her like that ever again, and you'll regret it, Collins. Now, if you dunderheads will excuse me, I have better things to do than sit around and listen to the rubbish coming out of your mouths. Weasley's way smarter than any of you will ever be, so back off of her." Justin smirked at me, and I lunged at him. Gavin held me back though. After all, I'm not much of a fighter; hexing is more my style.

"Save it, Scorpius. No one's scared of you just because your daddy has tons of money for you to hide behind; some of us actually have the skill and prowess to back ourselves up," he sneered at me. I pretended to struggle against Gavin's grasp, knowing that he wouldn't let me go. If he did, I would be shit out of luck because Justin's known to be pretty kick ass when it comes to fighting. "Now…where was I? Oh yes, I was talking about how much I'd _love_ to teach Weasley a thing or two. Imagine her giving me…" that was it. I flew out of Gavin's arms and slugged Justin right in the mouth. He stumbled backwards in surprise. When he reached up to feel his mouth and then examined his hand, there was blood. Damn, my fist was hurting. As I turned to leave the dormitory, I smirked at Justin.

"I told you that you would regret it, bastard," I sneered, pointedly referencing the fact that his mum was a whore that his father-a married man-had never wanted. So maybe I'm a bit mean on occasion. So what? He deserved it for insulting Rose that way. I didn't really have anything to do in the common room, so I sat down near the fire to mull things over.

The next day, the school was ablaze with the rumor that I had socked Justin over an argument about Rose Weasley. Walking into the Great Hall was a bit of a bitch, though, what with all the stares and the whispers. Of course, no one expected me to have defended the fire princess, right? And blast it, Locke had heard about the fight, no doubt from the tattletale himself. I rolled my eyes at the contents of the note he had mailed me. Detention all next week, thanks to Justin Collins, Slytherin's resident wiener. I sent him a menacing glare before digging into my breakfast. I had Arithmancy first thing, and I would need some energy to focus completely on tricky equations and competing with Rose. I was answering a question from Gavin when an owl flew in and dropped a letter in front of me. It was sickeningly pink and girly, and I opened quickly as to not have to look at the ugly envelope any longer. It was from the Cauldron of Love. I needed to submit a note to go in the card. They had accepted my order! Pulling a quill from my bag I wrote down the first thing that came to mind, and sent it back with the owl. If Weasley didn't appreciate it, I would be pissed.

Rose's POV

I was reluctant to go down to the dungeons on Valentine's Day morning. After sitting at the Gryffindor table and watching all of the girls in my year receive gifts, craning my neck to look for an owl that might actually be for me, and not getting anything at all, I felt awful. I was wearing a shirt I had bought in Muggle London the year before that read "Cupid Rhymes with Stupid", to point out my very pessimistic view of a frilly, consumer holiday that of course meant the world to me…if only I had gotten a gift. Even a card would have cheered me up a bit. And so, I was reluctant to spend the day with Scorpius. Even if he thought I was pretty, even if he had kicked Justin Collins' arse in my defense, he obviously didn't care enough to get me anything.

Imagine my surprise when I entered the Potions classroom and found that Scorpius wasn't even in the classroom. Locke was sitting at his desk, grading papers.

"Hello, Miss Weasley. Your punishment today will be to scrape all of that nasty Drooble's Blowing Gum from underneath the desks without magic. It's been building up for years, and Belch never listens to me when I tell him what I need done," Locke complained, referring to the school's caretaker. I sighed. "Mr. Malfoy was involved in an altercation with Mr. Collins late last night, and is in the hospital wing recovering from his injuries. I feel it is best that you know this, so that you don't ask me later. Get to work, Miss Weasley."

"Yes sir," I said obediently, getting back to work. Poor Scorpius. He had probably gotten it really bad from Collins the other night; Albus had a spat with him last year, and it didn't end well for either of them. I began removing the gum piece by piece using an old spoon. By lunchtime, my back was aching from having to crouch down low. I'm pretty tall, so having to stoop was annoying me to no end, and Locke seemed to be enjoying my discomfort. "Er, professor? Is it time for lunch yet?" I was desperate for a break.

"I will return with some sandwiches for you at quarter after one. There are some things I must look into," he said, rising. He left the room in a flurry of robes. I made a face at his retreating back before pulling out my wand to clear the gum away faster. Otherwise, I was likely to be trapped in the dungeons doing work all afternoon. I was certain that if I finished the task, Locke would be sure to let me go early. By the time he returned, I was nearly done. I had returned to using the spoon when I heard his footsteps echoing on the stone floors. "I have your lunch here, Miss Weasley. When you are done eating, you may leave. Your presence is distracting, even if there _is_ still gum under the table." Glad for the reprieve, I quickly gulped down two sandwiches and a glass of pumpokin juice before escaping back to Gryffindor Tower. None of my friends were around, of course, so I sat and did some revision until it began to get dark. Gloria and some of the other girls returned around six, chattering excitedly and comparing the gifts their boyfriends had bought for them.

"I really wanted everlasting roses, but Al would have had to save for _years_ to get them for me," I heard Gloria whine. Another girl chimed in.

"My mum says those things cost the same amount as a month's rent on a tiny little flat. Imagine someone spending a hundred galleons on some stupid flowers, when all you _really_ need is a stasis charm and you'll be good to go," she said, with an annoying peal of laughter. She glanced at me. "Oh, hi Rosie. Sorry you couldn't go into Hogsmeade with us."

"If you weren't such a troublemaker, I'm sure you and Freddie would have had a lovely time in town," Gloria said with a glowing smile. She threw her cloak onto her bed before hopping onto mine and making herself comfortable. "Did you hear that Malfoy got his comeuppance last night for spying on us? Justin Collins gave him a beating from hell. It was mad!"

"You know, I wouldn't call it comeuppance, really. I mean, Malfoy defended me from Collins and then Collins beat him up for it. I actually feel rather bad, and you should be ashamed of yourself for relishing in the fact that he's injured," I snapped, closing my text so that I could look at Gloria fully. She raised her eyebrows in surprise. "What?"

"I just didn't expect you to be so upset about Malfoy getting injured. I thought you'd be rather pleased," Gloria responded, smiling slightly.

"Rose, there's an owl in the common room holding a card and some flowers…and they're addressed to _you_!!" Hayley Crosgrove screamed, running into the dormitory in a flurry of excitement. "Someone's gone and got you everlasting roses! They're _so_ pretty!!"

EVERLASTING ROSES?!? Who in their right mind would ever go out and purchase me a gift like that? Those roses were unbelievably expensive, the sort of thing wizards buy for their wives and such. To think that someone would buy them for me…well, it was unthinkable! I hurried down to the common room. A large, regal looking, snow white owl was waiting on one of the coffee tables, with a bouquet of roses in its beak and a pink card tied to its leg. I took the roses out of the bird's beak and, sure enough, saw the Cauldron of Love insignia on the wrapping paper. The flowers really _were_ beautiful. There were twenty in all, blood red, and absolutely breathtaking.

"Read the card! Who are they from?!?" Gloria shrieked insistently, trying to untie the note from the owl's leg. It shied away from her. "Red! Get the bloody card already! I want to see who it's from!" Gloria looked so anxious, as if the roses and the card were hers and she had yet to open either item. I untied the card from the owl's leg, and it flew out the window almost immediately. One of the boys shut the window to keep out the cold. Careful not to tear the envelope, I unsealed it and pulled out the card. Gloria kept peering over my shoulder.

_To the Fire Princess:_

_Beautiful roses for a beautiful Rose. Enjoy them._

_-The Ice Prince_

They were from _Scorpius_! I smiled to myself. The 'Ice Prince' was melting.


	9. More Than Friends

Author's Note: I was scared to read the reviews from last chapter, just in case no one liked it. Anyway, this one should be a lot better since I refused to put it up until it was just right. Please read and review! Thanks!

Fire and Ice

Chapter Nine: More Than Friends?

I didn't go and visit Scorpius in the hospital wing. I _wanted_ to but I couldn't bring myself to go in there and see him. What would I have said? 'Thank you for the roses, it's a pity you're injured?' It would have made me seem like an idiot. So, I moped around Ravenclaw for three days. No one knew why I was upset, considering that I refused to talk to anyone-not even Gloria. Hugo wrote home to my mum about me and she quickly wrote me a letter, but I had no desire to eat it. I can't even tell you why I'm so upset. Maybe I feel a bit guilty; after all, if Scorpius hadn't defended me he probably wouldn't have gotten hurt.

"Red, you've _got_ to come out of this funk. Teachers are actually relying on other people to answer questions, and it's killing me because I'm not overly prepared like you. None of us are, really. We count on you to save the day, and you're not doing it," Gloria complained to me. It was the fourth day of Scorpius's stay in the hospital wing. Apparently, his injuries were rather serious if it was taking so long for him to recover. I sighed. "Anyway, let's talk about something exciting! Albus and I are going to ask our parents if we can vacation together this summer!! I really hope they say yes, as it'll give me a chance to show off my bikini-ready bod to James and make him totally jealous. I'm sure he'll regret not choosing me when he says me half naked."

"Come off it, Gloria. James isn't interested in you anymore," I grumbled. "Look, I'm going to go and study in the library for a bit. If I'm not back in an hour, come and get me for dinner."

"Okay, love! I'll see you then!!" Gloria cried cheerfully, despite the fact that I had just pointed out to her that my "sex god" cousin had no interest in her whatsoever. I picked up my schoolbag and trudged down to the library to get some studying done. It came as a total shock to me when I found Gavin Parkinson-Avery sitting with Scorpius Malfoy and Freddie Waters, chatting amiably. He was out of the hospital wing!! And he was perfectly healthy!!

"Oi, Rosie!! Over here!!" Freddie called out to me, spotting me almost the instant I walked in. Great. Now Scorpius would see me at my worst: I was wearing an ragged pair of sweatpants that had belonged to my uncle Harry some years ago, a yellow polo shirt with a navy blue jumper over it, a ponytail that had long since lost the sleekness of being freshly moisturized, and I had the hugest zit on the planet, right in the middle of my forehead. I waved shyly, looking everywhere _except_ at Scorpius. "Come join us. I was just helping Gavin and Scorpius catch up on some Potions work. They're paying me ten sickles to do the job; maybe they'll pay you too."

"No thanks, Freddie. I have a lot of things to get done, and very little time to do it in. I'll see you later," I muttered, turning away from him. I sat at a table nearby to them, wishing that I had taken up Gloria's offer of some Zit-Zapper, guaranteed to vanish unsightly blemishes in thirty seconds or less. I had no desire to look hideous, even though I had every right to. After all, it didn't matter what Scorpius Malfoy thought of me. We were just friends-correction, _barely_ friends. The roses he had sent me were marvelous, priceless, amazing…but was it really enough? I pulled out my Potions text to look over the ingredients and directions for the potion Locke had told us we would be brewing the next day.

"It's strange, isn't it, to think that after a guy buys a girl roses that cost a whopping hundred galleons, he doesn't get so much as a hello from the object of his affection," a voice said from behind me. I jumped, startled and disoriented. Scorpius. "Hello, Rose."

"I'm…I…I meant to…hello," I finally decided on a sentence to stick with. Scorpius slid into the seat beside me, a slight smile on his face. "Er…thanks for the roses, I really appreciated the gesture. They're lovely, really, and all of the girls in our year have been asking to see them."

"Oh?" was all Scorpius said. He seemed content to just sit quietly at my side. "I've had a chat with Locke, and it seems like we'll be able to go into Hogsmeade for your birthday. That is, if you'll accompany me." My eyes widened in surprise. He was asking me out!!!!

"I…I don't know what to say," I stammered, breathless. Why, why, why was I acting like this?!? I could feel my face heating up, and my stomach felt all jittery and nervous. Scorpius raised his eyebrows at me. Oh gods, he could tell that something was wrong with me.

"Well, after taking an arse kicking for you, the least you could do is say yes," he told me. Why was he acting like this? Why was he being so nice to me? "Or perhaps you're not interested. Maybe I was wrong to assume that you…maybe…maybe you don't like me after all." He moved to rise.

"No, no, wait! I…I'd _love_ to go into Hogsmeade with you," I assured him, nodding my head fervently. "I just…I don't understand this sudden change of heart. You're always so mean, so cool, so aloof…why are you being like this?"

"Being like what? It's the same old me. After all, you don't think I could sit here beside you and _not_ notice that mountain peak in the middle of your forehead, do you? Goodness, Weasley, do me a favor and get rid of that thing," he insulted me, smirking. I opened my mouth to shout at him, but he shook his head slowly. "See? I haven't changed a bit. I'm simply being nice to you. After all, isn't that what you'd prefer? I can turn off the charm if you'd like."

"I just want you to be the same, if that makes any sense. I don't want people thinking we like each other or something," I said, shoving my foot into my mouth. Of _course_ I wanted people to think we liked each other! It would show all the girls who had called me 'bookish and homely' and stick it to all the boys who had bypassed me in favor of airheads. "Wait, no! That isn't what I meant at all! I meant to say that I don't want people to think that we're compromising our identities for one another." Scorpius squinted. He was obviously confused.

"Riiiiiiight. You make complete sense to me," he said sarcastically. "Listen, I've got to get caught up on all the work I've missed. Maybe we can finish this talk later on tonight. Let's say eight thirty, empty classroom near the entrance to the dungeons. Be there or be square."

"Sure," I agreed quietly. "I wouldn't miss it for the world." Scorpius stood.

"Oh, and lose the zit, Weasley! I have no desire to kiss a pizza face!" he shouted as he strolled out of the library, leaving all of his books behind. Was he doing this for show? I sighed and went back to my reading. At six thirty on the nose, Gloria bounced into the library.

"Come on, Red, it's time for dinner!! You've been here an hour, and you told me to come rescue you so here I am! Albus wanted to come along, but he had something or other to get done. Let's go!" Gloria chattered excitedly. "And ooh, I have some Zit-Zapper for that pimple, extra strength so that it'll be gone in fifteen seconds or so. You _really, really, really_ need it."

"Gee, thanks," I snapped sarcastically, putting my Potions book into my bag and slinging it over my shoulder. You know, if I didn't love Gloria so much I might be tempted to stop talking to her completely. She _really_ knew how to push my buttons at times. "Let's get dinner over with, and then I am going to need your help in a HUGE way."

"Oooh, I love it when you need my help! I hope this is something good!" Gloria exclaimed. All through dinner, she kept trying to get the story out of me, but I refused to spill the beans. Only when we were back in the dormitory, with a Silencing Charm applied to the hangings to keep sound from escaping, did I tell her the secret behind the roses. "Oh, I have _got_ to help you get ready!!! Let me think…I have a blouse that you can borrow, and some pants…and then you can put your robes over them, but leave them hanging open so he can see how gorgeous you look! And I'll have to fix your hair, and do your makeup, and…we'll _definitely_ have to tackle that skin of yours. No way will Scorpius want to touch you if you've got that thing sticking out of your face. I'm surprised that none of the Slytherins have hit you with one of those _awful_ Animatus jinxes that make the pimple come alive! Merlin, there's so much to do and only half an hour to do it in!"

"Gloria, it's not that big of a deal. We're only going to talk a little bit, and maybe I'll help him with his work. You're forgetting that curfew is at 9:30 for us; Scorpius and I won't even get to spend an hour together if you factor in commute times and…" Gloria clapped her hand over my mouth to shut me up. "Fine, fine, fine. Let's get all of this over with."

Get it over with, indeed. Thirty minutes under Gloria's hands and I didn't even recognize myself. Perhaps she was in Ravenclaw for her skills, even if she was only good at charms and spells related to beauty and appearance.

"My mum thinks I should go into business when I graduate, be a stylist to the women of wealthy families. You know, follow in her footsteps and all. She's a regular with the Malfoy family, helps Scorpius's mum get ready for balls and the like. Next time mum goes over there during the summer, she promised to take me with her. Perhaps I'll have to drag you along," Gloria said as she put the finishing touches on my hair. She smiled at the final product. "Perfect!! Go get 'em, Red!" she practically shoved me out of the portrait hole and on my way.

I was nervous, of course. I had no idea what I was supposed to expect from this meeting. After all, Scorpius was an enigma. Who knows what he would have up his sleeve on this evening in particular? All I knew was that things were about take a turn, and I could only hope that it would be for the better.

Scorpius's POV

Waiting for Rose had me ridiculously nervous. I paced around the classroom, hoping to Merlin that she wasn't going to stand me up. I had lit the room with candles, keeping it old school on a suggestion from a seventh year that had quite a bit of romantic experience. Of course, no one knew that I was meeting Rose. I had told a bit of a whopper, and told everyone that I would be studying in the library and didn't want to be disturbed. When the door creaked open slowly, I stopped mid-pace and whirled around. Rose. She looked…indescribably hot. Not beautiful, not gorgeous, not cute….HOT! Like fire, you could say.

"You clean up well," I said with a smile. Idiot, idiot, idiot! What a stupid thing to say to her! I was surprised when she smiled back at me. She entered the room and shut the door behind her.

"Thanks. You don't look so bad yourself," she replied. I shrugged. I was wearing the usual fare: gray slacks, a white button down shirt, school tie, and black dress shoes. "The candles are a nice touch. What are you trying to set the mood for?" was she serious? I thought she would _know_ what I was setting the mood for. I wanted my-no, our-first kiss to be perfect.

"Call it an early birthday present," I said, slowly moving towards where she stood in the center of the room. "You look…you look really nice tonight, Rose. I meant it when I said that you clean up well, even if that's not exactly how I wanted to say it."

"I know what you meant, silly," she said quietly. "So, why did you ask me here exactly? After all, I don't really have all night to sit around. Is there something you want to say to me?"

"Not necessarily. It's more like something I owe you," I said, pulling my wand from my pocket and pointed at the ceiling. I waved my wand so that mistletoe appeared above her head. She looked up and her eyes widened. I finally reached her. "Perhaps mistletoe _is_ rather romantic…it just has to be in the right context, and _this_, Weasley, is what I would consider the perfect moment. Come here." When I held out my arms-which were shaking with anticipation-she came to me and we hugged for the first time. I didn't really know what to do next, so I just held onto her.

"Well? Aren't you going to kiss me?" she asked, her voice muffled. Her head was resting on my shoulder, so that I couldn't really notice the fact that she was only an inch or two shorter than me. I laughed. Only Rose would be so brazen with me.

"Of course I am," I whispered, and I hastily covered her lips with mine. The kiss was soft, warm, and rather impassionate…but in terms of a first kiss, it was perfect. If I was the type of fellow to kiss and tell, I would tell you that……but I'm not that type of guy. What happens between Rose and I will stay between Rose and I. I don't plan on telling anything to Gavin for fear that he'll spill the beans to the other boys in our year.

"What does all of this mean?" Rose asked some time later. We had retired to one of the tables in the classroom and sat side by side quietly, relishing the previous moments. I hadn't really thought of what it would come to if I decided to snog Rose-and boy oh boy had we snogged!

"I don't know. What do you want it to mean?" I asked her quietly, reaching over to tuck a strand of her bright red hair behind her ear. She sighed. I sighed. I was thinking of what my father's reaction would be. Of course, he would begin by lecturing me about keeping my mind focused on school. And then the conversation would quickly take a turn for the worse.

"Well, despite all of my worries, I think that we should give the relationship a go. I've never had a boyfriend before, and I'm nearly sixteen!" Rose exclaimed, glancing at me through her long eyelashes. I raised my eyebrows at her excited outburst. "Of course, my dad will go bonkers when he hears, and Al and James might heckle you a bit and maybe Hugo as well…but I think it's worth it. I really like you, even if you can be a huge prat at times."

"Me? A huge prat? Why Rose, I think you must have me mixed up with some other Scorpius Malfoy!" I teased her, feigning complete innocence. She swatted me on the arm and then pursed her lips, apparently waiting for an answer to her suggestion. "Rosie, I really like you too, even though you have been known to fly off the handle a time or two. I'm just not sure that it's a good idea for the two of us to start dating. People will talk, and hassle you…and, to be honest, I really don't want any trouble from your cousins or your brother. If we keep things quiet for a while, hang out a bit more frequently, maybe people will get used to seeing us together, and then we can officially announce that we're a couple. Before that…I'm not so sure."

"Scorpius, people will talk about us even if we're just _friends_! People hassle me regardless of who I'm seeing, simply because they hate me for being so bookish. I think you're just afraid of what your precious Slytherin friends will think of you if you tell them I'm your girlfriend," Rose snapped, zoning in on my fears. "If you're ashamed to be seen with me, perhaps I should just go. I couldn't bear to be with someone who wasn't proud to have me on his arm."

"Don't be stupid, Rose. It has nothing to do with my friends. Most of them like you; hell, some of them even wish they could date you! I just…okay, fine. Rose, will you do me the honor of being my girlfriend?" I asked her, exasperated. Her face lit up as she smiled.

"Yes, yes, yes!!" she squealed, giving me a lingering kiss. "Oh, I knew it wouldn't take longer than a moment for me to wear you down! This is great! I can't wait to tell all of my friends!" Oh, Merlin. Once she told Gloria Knipping, the whole school would know in a matter of moments. By tomorrow morning, everyone would be gossiping about us. My fellow Slytherins would be eyeing me contemptuously, wondering how in hell I could ever allow myself to be linked to a Weasley. I myself was wondering how I had allowed myself to like Rose. Beyond the obvious reasons, like smarts and a sense of humor, she didn't really have much going for her. She was slender-too slender-even though she ate a ridiculous amount of sweets, and she had frizzy hair and the occasional pimple…but I was thinking too much of how others saw her. After all, while I noted the outward appearance, it was veiled by her beautiful personality and her raging temper.

"Perhaps I should ask you out more often," I murmured, pulling Rose to me for another kiss. I could get used to this, I think.


	10. Goodbye

Author's Note: This chapter is kind of short, and it took me a while to get out because I was suffering from a serious case of writer's block. I don't especially like it, but it turned out way better than the first version I had written a few weeks ago. I have exams coming up next week, but I've already started plotting for the next chapter so hopefully I can crank it out before I go home! I will definitely make an effort to not have a month between updates next time. ) Also, I want to say sorry for any typos in the other chapters; I've gone back and fixed them, as well as some mix-ups with Gryffindor/Ravenclaw. I hope you enjoy this, even though it's not the best, and please review!

Fire and Ice

Chapter Ten: Goodbye

The end of term was upon me before I knew it. Trunks were packed, seventh years were bidding Hogwarts goodbye, and I was already anxious about my OWL results. I was also sad about having to say goodbye to Scorpius. He would be spending an entire summer in France with his maternal grandparents, which meant it was highly unlikely that we would be spending any time together whatsoever. His promise to write me a letter every day that we were apart did little to console me. After all, it was rumored that his parents were only sending him to France to keep the two of us apart.

Immediately after Scorpius and I decided to officially be a couple, I wrote home to my mum to inform her of our relationship. After all, I knew that my dad would probably be furious for quite some time and I figured he would need a good four months in order to calm down. Scorpius had agreed to do the same, but somehow one of his housemates had beaten him to it. The very next day, he received a Howler at breakfast that turned his pale face bright red with humiliation. I felt awful for him, especially when he told me that his father had threatened to disown him and was no longer giving him massive amounts of spending money to use as he pleased.

"We should go for a walk tonight," I suggested to Scorpius on the last day of classes before the end of term. We were in an empty classroom, which allowed for plenty of freedom to participate in extracurricular activities, if you catch my drift. Scorpius ran a hand through his shaggy blond hair, and pulled a face. Despite the fact that he was raised in a country manor, he detests nature and the outdoors.

"I can't. father's arranged to fetch me this evening at six o'clock," he muttered. He looked so sad and depressed that I leaned in and kissed him to cheer him up a bit. "I can't believe I'm not going to see you for an entire summer! It's going to be dreadfully boring in the country, and my cousin Anouk is probably going to bring home a thousand of her stupid girly friends to make my life a living hell. They'll all fawn over me and ask me questions about Hogwarts, and then try and compare it to life at Beauxbatons."

"Oh, stop it. It won't be as bad as all that," I tried to assure him, but he just sighed. "Well, at least you'll have our letters to keep you entertained. I'm sure that all of my wit and charm will make up for your cousin's apparent lack thereof." Scorpius shook his head no.

"Anouk isn't stupid, just her friends are…but I will definitely be looking forward to our correspondence. You can keep me updated on how things are going with your summer internship," Scorpius said, standing. "And now, unfortunately, I must go and gather my things. While you're happily eating at the Leaving Feast, I will be flying on a broom to bloody France, wishing I could still be with you."

"I really wish that you didn't have to go…I wish we could figure out a way to see each other," I said, standing as well. Scorpius pulled me into his arms for a brief embrace. "So I suppose this is goodbye, until the start of the new term…I'm going to miss seeing you every day!"

"As will I, but there's nothing I can do to change my father's mind. He wants to keep us apart, and he'll do anything to make sure of it," Scorpius said. I looked into his eyes, and realized that he looked as sad I felt. Why was this goodbye so distressing for him? As horrible as separating seemed, we would be seeing each other again in a few months, right? Scorpius squeezed me tightly one more time before extracting himself from my arms. "I'll write you as soon as I'm sure that you're at home….and don't ever forget how much I care about you, no matter what happens." With a gentle kiss on my forehead, Scorpius left the classroom. After standing there for a few more moments, I left the room as well.

Back in my dormitory, I carefully placed the last of my belongings into my trunk. I looked at the picture of Scorpius that sat on my bedside table, smiling at the memory of the photograph. He had claimed that he wasn't photogenic despite his ridiculously handsome features, but of course I hadn't believed him. Alas, he was proven right in the end. Both of his eyes were shut, and the hand that he was holding up, kept on making the weirdest movements ever. I grinned and placed it at the top of my trunk.

"Hey, we're going down to the feast in a moment, if you want to accompany the lot of us," Gloria offered when I settled into bed with the latest book my mum had sent for me in the mail. I wanted to finish it up before I got home, because my dad was insisting that I help out my uncle at Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes for the entire summer as a shopgirl. Not exactly the way I had intended to spend my summer, but I didn't have any choice in the matter. My dad was adamant that I make myself useful and start helping out with family related business instead of holing up with books for three months. My mum had agreed that it was time for me to get some "real life experience", but she had made certain that I only had to work for three to four hours a day, so I didn't fall behind in any of my studies. Thank Merlin for that, or my dad would have had me working like a house elf!

"Oh, no thanks. I think I'm just going to finish this, and snack on some of the cookies my grandmother sent me a few days ago," I told her, rejecting the invite. After all, reading is way more important than hearing the same old speech about the same old stuff, year after year after year. Yet, it seemed like Gloria and the rest of the girls had just left the dormitory moments ago when they returned chattering loudly about the feast. I rolled my eyes. Hadn't they eaten enough to keep them quiet for a while?

"Oh my goodness, Red, you will not believe what happened at dinner!!" Callista, one of the girls in my year, exclaimed as she flopped onto my bed. Gloria joined her soon after. I raised my eyebrows. It couldn't be _that_ exciting, could it? "Well…do you want to tell her, Gloria? She might take it better from you than from me…" what? What was she talking about?

"What's going on, you two?" I asked, when Gloria shook her head and widened her eyes in fear. What had happened at the feast that was so monumental that they were both afraid to tell me? "Come on, out with it! I want to finish this book before I have to go home and you aren't making it any easier to achieve that goal. Say what you have to say, or get off of my bed."

"Fine! If neither of you will do it, then I will," said Angela Longbottom, my "uncle" Neville's daughter. I usually saw little of Angie during the school year because she was glued at the hip to her Hupplepuff boyfriend, Harry Creevey. She took a deep breath. "Professor Twiddlethumb announced tonight at dinner that Scorpius Malfoy isn't coming back to Hogwarts next year. His dad's sending him to school in America…something about him mixing with the wrong sort, and other oddments. Anyway, the professor only announced it because it seems that Scorpius managed to beat you as top student this year, and Twiddlethumb considered a great loss to the Hogwarts student body. I'm so sorry, Rose." She added this apology only after noticing how stricken I must have looked. After all, Scorpius hadn't mentioned the fact that he was leaving.

"It's fine, I'll be fine," I lied, trying to put on a brave face. After several reassuring pats and a big kiss on the cheek from Gloria, the girls left off to do the last of their packing.That night, when everyone else was asleep, I cried until I could cry no more.

"Oi, Rosie! There's a customer out front and your dad's too busy stuffing his face to ring them up! Hop to it for me, won't you love?" my uncle George called out to me. Ever since the death of my uncle Fred, my dad has been helping out Uncle George with his shop. I stopped restocking the shelves with Animatus Pimple Cream and went over to the register to help the next customer. It was Francis Finnegan, son of an old chum of my dad's. Frankie was a Gryffindor, finished up at Hogwarts recently. I smiled and totaled up all of his purchases.

"How've you been doing about the whole Scorpius thing? Right shame it was that he never told you he was leaving, I think. If I was him, I would've never allowed meself to let you go, but that's just personal opinion," he said, giving me a bright smile of his own. I shrugged. Ever since the end of term two months ago, I had tried not to think of Scorpius. He had sent me a letter a day, as promised, but I had only opened the first one. I was sorely disappointed when I realized that he hadn't even bothered to give an explanation. According to that first letter, he had _chosen_ to go to school overseas, with some bullshit claim about "wanting to see the world". The only reason I could think of for that blarney was that his dad was forcing him to lie. All of the other letters, I returned to him, not even remotely interested in hearing any more rubbish from his lying motuh.

"Er, thanks for the support," I said, feeling my face flush. Frankie nodded. "Well, good luck with your Auror training! I hope it goes well for you." With a salute in my direction, Frankie left the store. I sighed. Why, why, why had the gods cursed me with such a miserable existence? The first boy that was ever interested me had up and left me, and the first boy that had shown interest in me since Scorpius was such a dear family friend that I couldn't think of him as anything more than a brother. Brilliant. When I said goodbye to Scorpius, I might as well have said goodbye to my love life as well.


	11. Reunited and It Feels So Good?

Author's Note: If anyone actually still reads this (D), I'm really sorry for the long time between updates. I get so busy with school at times that my writing takes the back burner to make room for all the drama in my life. Anyway, I don't know if I really like this chapter or not. It took forever to write, and I'm pretty sure I didn't make very many mistakes, but if I did please let me know. D

Fire and Ice

Chapter Eleven: Reunited and it Feels so Good?

She was stunning. That was the first thing I noticed when I saw Rose Weasley again for the first time in ten years. Her red hair was darker now, and while she was still tall her figure had filled out quite a bit. She was curvy but slender at the same time, if that makes any sense. My heart sped up as she drew nearer to me. Would she recognize me? Would she smile at me and say hello? Or would she give me the cold shoulder for leaving her all those years ago? Just as I had decided to be the bigger person and step out of my hiding place to greet her, a man came up behind her, smiling widely.

"Rosie, come on love. We've got to get back to the flat before Gloria and Albus arrive for dinner, or they'll be _so_ angry with us," the man said. He looked to be several years older than us, and he had very dark hair. His face seemed familiar, but I couldn't tell if I knew him or not. Rose wrinkled her nose. Apparently, she was in no hurry to return to the flat.

"I just want to look for a few more minutes, Frankie. You can go ahead without me," she called to him from one of the aisles in the bookstore. This Frankie character did not look pleased at Rose's dismissal of him. He opened his mouth to protest. "Come and kiss me first, if you must."

"I thought you'd never ask," Frankie said, moving into the aisle to kiss her. So Frankie was her love interest. She'd moved on, as I expected. Of course I didn't care or anything, but it was still surprising. She had sent me a letter just days after I left, promising me that she would never love another boy as much as she had loved me. Apparently, that promise had been broken…then again, Frankie was a man, not a boy. I gathered my purchases and went to the front of the store to pay for them.

"Did you find everything you needed, Mr. Malfoy?" the shopkeeper asked. I nodded solemnly. Jacques wrapped up my books and placed them in a bag, handing it to me with a smile. "Would you like to take a peek at our special collection before you go, sir? I've just received a shipment, and I think there are several titles that would pique your interest….good day, Mr. Finnegan!"

"Good day, Jacques. I believe my fiancée will be making several purchases the moment I'm gone. Just add them to my tab; I've yet to get her a real wedding present, so I'm sure she'll appreciate the gesture," Mr. Finnegan—so he _had_ gone to Hogwarts!—told Jacques. I looked back at him and he raised his eyebrows at me. "You're a Malfoy, aren't you?"

"What's it to you?" I asked him coolly, sneering at him. I straightened my posture a bit and brushed an invisible speck of dust from my robes. They were of the finest quality, and if my blond hair didn't give away who I was, my clothes surely would. Finnegan looked taken aback at my cold demeanor. "Let me guess…you're going to tell me to stay away from your bloody fiancée, aren't you? Well, don't worry, Finnegan. I have no desire to sully the Malfoy line. Now, if you will excuse me, I must be on my way. Jacques, perhaps I will come back in a few days to see your new selection."

"Wait, don't leave, Malfoy. I'm sure Rosie would love to say hello to you. She's always wondered what became of you, and I'll bet she's surprised at how you turned out. She had hoped that being with her would change you, but I don't suppose that any Malfoy can _really_ change their spots," Finnegan said. And then, before I could stop him, he called for Rose. "Oi, Rosie!! Come here, love! There's someone here who'd love to see you!" I wanted to strangle him when Rose came running. She took one look at me, and her face fell.

"Oh! Oh. _Oh_," she repeated the word three times. She seemed to have difficulty coming up with something to say to me. Instead of speaking, she placed her books down on the counter before Jacques so that he could calculate the total cost. "Er…it's good to see you again, Scorpius. How have you been?" Her cheeks were flushed, and I couldn't tell if she was angry or embarrassed. There was a time when one glance at her was enough to tell me what she was feeling.

"I've been well, thank you. I was actually just leaving when your…_fiancé_…took it upon himself to summon you. I have other business to attend to, so you'll have to forgive me for making this reunion brief," I said, desperately wanting to leave the store. It didn't feel right, knowing that Rose was going to marry such a wanker, but there was nothing I could do to put things right. She obviously no longer cared for me, and I was positive I could not change that fact. "Enjoy the rest of the day."

"Are you back in England, then? I'll have to have you come round for tea soon," she said, giving me a shy smile. I smirked. How would Finnegan take it if she had me round to tea? One glance at his face was enough to assure me that he didn't like the idea. "You'll have to bring along your girlfriend. Gavin Avery was telling us all about her…French wizarding royalty or something? I'd love to meet her."

"I can assure you, Weasley, that I do not know what woman you are referring to. If you'll excuse me…" I trailed off, backing out of the store. I quickly Apparated back to my large townhouse in Muggle London. Avery had been telling people that I was in France because of a woman! The bastard! I would have to put him in his place, and I would have to do it soon. Despite the fact that he has been my best friend since childhood, I rather hate it when he spreads my business around, particularly when it isn't true. I settled into my reading chair to page through the latest additions to my library.

Just as I was drifting off into a light sleep, one of my two house elves awoke me. Instead of going off on him, I calmly accepted the missive that he had retrieved for me from my mailbox. I could tell by the handwriting that it was from Rose. An invitation to tea, perhaps? I opened it slowly, rather excited at the fact that she _had_ extended an invitation….until the note was in my hand.

_Dearest Scorpius,_

_It's funny how we meet again under the strangest circumstances. I'm sorry that Frankie had to surprise the two of us like that, springing that meeting on us the way he did. I've given him a talking to, and he's rather apologetic about it all. I won't invite you to tea, because Frankie's a tad jealous of you…thinks you'll steal me away from him or some nonsense. I know you too well, and I doubt that you'd ever do such a thing. After all, we haven't even spoken since we were little children. The feelings just aren't there anymore._

_Nevertheless, I _do_ miss you from time to time. I could certainly have used your help when I was revising for my NEWTs in the seventh year—Gloria's a bright girl, but she didn't put as much effort into studying as I did, and that put quite the damper on my study schedule. I hope the years have been good to you, and do expect me to pop in for a visit to your flat the moment this letter bursts into flame. I've followed my owl by broom to get to you, which put Frankie into a fit. I can't say that I care, though. We were dear friends once, and now that you're back I don't intend to lose you again._

As soon as I read that last word, the note burst into flames and my doorbell rang. Rose was here. I raced for the door, in the hopes that I would beat one of the elves to it. Even though I've commanded them time and again not to answer the door, they still forget themselves from time to time. Luckily, they chose today to obey my orders. I opened the door and saw Rose, smiling brightly. "Come in."

"Thank you," she said, stepping past me and into the foyer. "You have such a lovely home. Frankie plays Quidditch, you know, but his flat's nowhere near as extravagant as yours……I was so sorry to hear about your parents, Scorpius, I really was. Their deaths must have hurt you horribly." I shrugged. My parents had died in a terrible car crash seven years ago. If you're wondering why they were in a car in the first place…it beats me, and it's not as if they were around for me to ask them. I inherited all of their money when they were gone, and I can't say I don't appreciate it.

"Let's go into the sitting room. If you think the foyer's nice, you'll get a reality check when you see that room," I said, offering her my hand. I regretted it the moment I made the movement, but felt instantly better when she took it.

Rose's POV

When Scorpius offered me his hand, I couldn't not take it. It was so much like old times that I couldn't resist the temptation. I had promised myself that I wasn't going to touch him, that I wasn't going to give in to my desire to be with him again, but the moment I saw him all of my reservations disappeared. I let him lead me into the sitting room. It wasn't nearly as fancy as the foyer, but the simple furniture was a nice touch. It made the room look comfortable. I saw that there was a book on one of the chairs, and I tried to get a glimpse of the title as Scorpius led me past it. We sat down on a plump red couch.

"So…is it forward of me to ask why you're here? I'm sure your _fiancé_ probably wants me dead," Scorpius said, smiling slightly. The way he said the word fiancé made it obvious that he didn't like the term at all. Was it because it wasn't in reference to _him_? Because if that was why he had an aversion to the word, he was going to get a LONG lecture from me. After all, he had allowed his father to separate us and had made absolutely no effort to stay in touch with me once he'd gotten out of school.

"I…I've missed you. We didn't get to talk at all in the bookstore, and I have dozens of questions I want to ask you," I admitted shyly. He quirked one of his eyebrows, and I laughed. He was older, more mature…but at the same time he was still the Scorpius I had once been head over heels in love with. "I wish you would tell me why you never wrote to me. I know you got my letters, because I charmed them to blow up if they fell into the wrong hands…I would have known if it happened, so…"

"I wasn't allowed to, Rose. My father didn't want me to…he threatened to disown me, to take away my name…if he had done that, I wouldn't have had any means by which to finish school," he said. Selfish git. He could have written _just_ to tell me that. He's just as brilliant as I am; I'm sure he could have found a way to get around his father's wishes. He must have thought of this. "Look, I wrote tons of letters to you. I wrote to tell you how much I hated my dad, how I wanted you to wait for me…but if I sent them I would have lost everything. I _did_ lose everything anyway, when I lost you, but at the time I was being selfish. We were just kids and I saw nothing wrong with putting myself before you. Now I realize that it was stupid, but it's far too late for me to go back and correct every little thing I've done."

"I don't expect you to. I just…I cried for days after you left! I lost _so_ much weight that I was practically a skeleton. I would have done anything to get you back, but my efforts were fruitless. You're right when you say that we were just kids. The way I behaved was foolish as well. I saw nothing wrong with putting _you_ before me, and I felt SO much better when I realized that my wellbeing was more important than some boy I was probably never going to see again," I told him, hoping that what I said hurt him a little bit. "After all, you _were_ just a boy. Frankie has helped me in so many ways. He's taught me how to love as a woman, and I'm grateful to him for it." Scorpius sneered at the mention of Frankie's name.

"Oh? Is that why you came here to cheat on him, then? Don't think I don't know what your intentions are, Rose. I knew it from the moment you stepped in the front door," Scorpius said. I raised my eyebrows. Was he serious? I was not thinking about seducing him!! Although, it would be rather easy to…but no! I was _not_ going to cheat on Frankie, the love of my life. But then Scorpius was kissing me, and I knew I wasn't going to stop him. That is, not until I figured out _why_ he was doing it. Not that I _wanted_ to figure out, but….goodness, he was a wonderful kisser! He'd definitely gained quite a bit of experience since the last time we'd kissed. After several long, blissful moments, Scorpius reluctantly pulled away from me."Say you'll leave him, Rose. You can't look me in the eye and tell me you love him…not truly, not the way that you feel about me."

"Scorpius…I _don't_ feel the same way about you that I feel about Frankie. You're right when you say that. But…how do I know you won't just run off and leave me again? How can I trust that you won't break my heart?" I asked him, shaking my head slowly to clear my mind. What was I _doing_? "Look, I came here to catch up with an old friend, not to be sexually assaulted." Scorpius raised his eyebrows.

"Sexually assaulted? If I was assaulting you, Rose, then you weren't putting up much of a fight. Just admit it: you still want to be with me. You're only with Frank because he was there for you when I wasn't…when I _couldn't_ be around," he said. I shook my head slowly. He was _wrong_.

"No. You're wrong, Scorpius! I should have known better than to come here today," I said, rising from where I sat. Scorpius made no move to stop me as I fled the house. I would have to decide what to do with Frank—and myself—before I considered seeing Scorpius again.


	12. Chapter 12

Author's Note: Well, this is officially the last chapter of this story. I was all set to abandon the story completely until I reread the entire thing a few days ago. So, instead of dragging things on I'm just going to finish things up. It'll be short, mostly because my heart is no longer in it, but I hope all the people who are still reading appreciate it anyway! :)

Chapter 12: At Last

I stood outside of the door to Scorpius's home, my heart pounding wildly in my chest as I waited for him to let me in. what I was about to do would change my life, and by the end of the night someone's heart would be broken. He pulled the door open-finally!-and I hungrily took in his appearance. Same silvery blond hair and gorgeous gray eyes, but he'd grown a beard in the two weeks since I'd seen him last. It had taken a lot of time, and a _lot_ of thinking to come to my decision. No words were spoken as I stepped past him and into the house. I went straight to the sitting room.

"_Do_ put on a pot of tea, Scorpius. It's common courtesy when you have guests, you know," I pointed out to him, knowing full well that he'd just snap his fingers and make a house elf handle things. Instead he brushed by me and sat in a chair near the fireplace. I sat as well, waiting patiently for my tea. Five minutes of awkward silence passed—_slowly_. "Well? My throat is as dry as the Sahara Desert. Where in hell is my bloody tea?" Still, nothing.

"Did you only come here for tea? Because I'm getting this vibe…kind of like you came here to tell me something, and I'm not giving you tea until I hear what you've got to say for yourself," he said, giving me his typical smirk. Arsehole. I made the motion of zipping my lips. "Well? I'm curious as a cat. Where in hell is _my_ bloody answer?" I glared.

"If you refuse to show me the slightest bit of hospitality, then I refuse to say what I've decided," I replied, but my confidence was wavering. I wanted so much to just burst out and tell him what I'd come to say! He snapped his fingers twice, and a house elf appeared with tea service. "_Thank_ you!" I helped myself to a cup of tea, my hands shaking slightly as I measured out my preferred amounts of sugar and milk.

"Now…you've your tea. May I please have my answer so that I can get on with my life?" he asked, as if I was some sort of annoyance and not the girl of his dreams. I took a sip of my tea, trying to calm myself.

"Well…I have come to a decision, but before I tell you about it I am going to explain the logic I applied. After all, I'm a Ravenclaw, and I don't make decisions lightly…you see, if I were to choose you I am sure my life would be wonderful. You'd love me and care for me, and you're no longer under the thumb of your horrid father. On the other hand, I can't be sure I'd be able to ever get over the fear that you'd abandon me one day," I told him, looking Scorpius dead in the eye as I said it. "Then there's Frank. We've been together for quite some time, and I _love_ him. I love him so much that I promised him I'd become his wife in two weeks' time. And so, I wonder how I could ever break off something so serious and wonderful, just for the love of my childhood.

"If I let you go, I'll always wonder…if I let Frank go, I'll always have to face the fact that I hurt him. So who to choose, eh? My heart says you, but my mind says Frank…and I'm so, so sorry Scorpius, but I'm going to marry Frank and become a Finnegan. I mean, seriously? A Weasley and a Malfoy? Fire and ice, right? We'd never work." I watched Scorpius's face closely for some sign of surprise or anger—_anything—_but it remained blank.

"Very well then. You've made your choice, and now you are free to leave and go be with your fiancé. I'm sure the two of you will be very happy together," he said, his voice devoid of any telltale emotions. He snapped his fingers again, and a house elf appeared. "Show Ms. Weasley to the door, please. I'll be in my rooms." As I stood shakily, he rose as well, and swiftly left the sitting room.

"This way, missy," the elf said, leading me to the door. I'd been promptly dismissed, which was the exact opposite of what I'd expected Scorpius to do. I'd wanted him to beg and plead with me so I could change my mind, but he had simply accepted my choice. It was time for me to leave, to start my life with Frankie and never let Scorpius Malfoy darken my thoughts again…but did I really want to?

Their wedding announcement was in the papers, of course. I stumbled upon it one Saturday several weeks after Rose's visit to my home. In a way, I had hoped Rose wouldn't do it and then another part of me had hoped that she would. Perhaps we were better off separate. Three months later, I was enjoying a glass of port after dinner, when my doorbell rang. I rarely had unexpected company, so there were alarms going off in my head as I walked towards the front door. My elves were at Malfoy Manor readying it for a ball I was throwing for a distant cousin's seventeenth birthday, and so I was forced to fend for myself for a few days.

"Who is it?" I asked gruffly, but there was silence on the other side of the door. I thought about using a spell to check my guest's identity, but thought better of it…perhaps it was a Muggle trying to sell me something again? That was why the Manor was Unplottable. I pulled the door open and found Rose Weasley-Finnegan standing before me. Her mascara was running down her cheeks and she was sobbing silently. I raised an eyebrow at her, set to shut the door in her face.

"_Please_. Let me come in," she pleaded, her expression desperate. I let her in, taking pity on her. I went into the loo and got her some toilet paper to clean her face. I always kept a handkerchief in my pocket, of course, but there was no way I was sullying a fifty galleon silk napkin on disgusting Muggle chemicals. I handed them to her and sat across from her on the sofa. "Frank and I have been granted an annulment by the Ministry! We applied for it, and it finally came through! You see, I realized that _you_ are the one I love, and I really hope you'll give me a second chance because I really need you in my life."

"Oh? It's not just because he's dumped you for that Veela tramp that's just become a pop sensation with all the wizarding teens? That's what I've been reading in the gossip column of the Daily Prophet," I sneered at her, rather annoyed that she'd try to come running to me only because her arse of a husband had left her high and dry.

"No, it's not at _all_. We applied for the annulment long before that, I swear! He's only left me recently, and I didn't come to you before because I wanted to wait until the annulment was official before I tried to work things out with you!" she said, wiping at her face with one hand while grasping my hand desperately with the other. "I've loved you all this time, and I've been waiting for this moment since the day I married Frank. _Please_, say you'll have me. Please, Scorpius." I could see the honesty in her face, but I wanted to hurt her as much as she'd hurt me.

"What makes you think I want to take you back? I've moved on, Rose, and it's time for you to do the same thing," I told her coolly. She buried her face in her hands. "You made the wrong choice three months ago. Now you have to live with the consequences of your decision. You were so worried about me leaving you, and then you wound up getting left by some guy that was supposed to be the love of your life. I'm pretty sure I should be saying something along the lines of 'Serves you right' or 'I told you so'…but I won't since I love you just as much as you love me, and I've never stopped." I leaned in and kissed her right on the mouth.

She moved in a week later, and we married six months after that. Who would have thought that a Weasley and a Malfoy would _ever_ find love? Two years after we married, we gave birth to twins: Fred Narcissus Weasley Malfoy and Lucia Rose Weasley Malfoy. Happily ever after? Not quite, but at least we'd finally found love.


End file.
